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THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


»’fe'  »6it'  <?«'  ^ S-V'  *4f  *W  s'*  »Sf'  s-at'^  ^ sQif'  Sft'  s»' «'«'  S’.Y  ^ 


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X)iti(nE  Gucgatiet 

Extracts  from  the  Writings  and  Sermons 
of  Venerable  Peter  Julian  EYMARD,  S 


Founder  of  the  Congregation  of  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament 


FIRST  SERIES 


THE  REAX.  PRESENCE 


FROM  THE  NINTH  FRENCH  EDITION. 


3rrm~rnTir'i-rTTT~irrxxjmlxi-lJLi-U-i-xxJ[JCxlJLi-»XDixXXJJLlxmxt»ir3  “ 

3 FATHERS  OF  THE  BLESSED  SACRAMENT 

3 i8s  East  76th  Street,  NEW- YORK. 


BOSTON  COLLFOE  LIBRARY 
CHESTNUT  HILL,  MASS. 


NIHIL  OBSTAT 


Liidovicus  ESTEVENON,  S.  S.  S. 
Superior  Generalis. 


Rome,  May  8,  1907. 

2.2.1  s' 

NIHIL  OBSTAT. 


Remigius  LAFORT,  S.  T.  L. 
Censor  librorum. 


IMPRIMATUR. 

Joannes  M.  FARLEY,  D.  D., 
Archiepiscopus  Neo-Ebor. 

New  York,  May  17,  1907. 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


86555 


APPROBATION. 


O time  more  opportune  than  the  present  could 


be  chosen  to  place  before  the  public  this  little 
volume  by  the  venerated  PereEym a rd.  In  the  process 
for  his  Beatification,  already  begun,  his  writings  have 
been  declared  faultless  by  the  Sacred  Congregation 
of  Rites. 

Our  Sovereign  Pontiff,  Pope  Pius  X,  has  recently 
issued  his  extraordinary  Decree  on  Daily  Communion, 
thus  marking  a notable  era  in  the  spiritual  life  of  Holy 
Mother  Church.  To  all  pious  souls  who  hearken  to 
the  paternal  injunction  of  the  Holy  Father,  this  little 
book  will  afford  food  for  deep  and  serious  meditation. 
Its  pages  are  studded  with  Eucharistic  jewels  just  as 
they  fell  from  the  lips  of  the  ardent  Apostle  of  the 
Holy  Eucharist. 

It  will,  as  we  believe,  supply  a need  long  felt  by 
Eucharistic  Congresses,  and  help  to  disseminate  such 
literature  as  those  worthy  bodies  of  the  clergy  earnestly 
recommend. 

We  trust  the  « Real  Presence  » is  only  an  intro- 
duction to  the  whole  series  of  Pere  Eymard’s  works, 
which  we  would  be  glad  to  see  soon  in  English  garb. 
No  sentence  from  the  writings  of  this  sainted  servant 
of  God  can  fail  to  give  strength  and  courage  and  com- 
fort to  all  lovers  of  our  Eucharistic  Lord.  May  his 
words  help  to  establish  the  reign  of  Jesus  Christ  in 
the  hearts  of  the  Faithful ! 


October,  1906. 


J.  Card.  GIBBONS, 
Archbp.  of  Baltimore, 


-i^f^  oTTaj  yijX  tirfx  ojX  aTtX  y^fX  aTtX  a!fx  tvlx  ti:fx  iA^X  Xll 

si?  tg  ^ 


LETTER  of  the  BISHOP  of  TARBES. 


E have  with  pleasure  read  carefully  the  /iVj/ 


V V Series  of  the  Library  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  ^ 
published  by  the  Religious  of  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment. Not  only  have  we  found  nothing  notin  conform- 
ity with  the  teachings  of  the  Church  and  of  sacred 
theology  upon  this  Mysteiy  of  Faith ^ but  all  in  it 
appears  to  us  full  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  all  breathes  the 
sweetest,  the  truest,  the  most  edifying  piety.  By  the 
perusal  of  its  pages,  we  understand  better  than  ever 
that  the  Holy  Eucharist  is  the  centre  of  Catholicity, 
that  It  is  truly  the  Gospel  renewed  and  perpetuated 
throughout  time  and  space. 

Pere  Eymard  appears  to  have  been  raised  up  by 
God  to  develop  in  the  midst  of  us  this  grand  devotion 
by  his  words,  his  Congregation,  and  his  warnings. 
Though  dead^  he  still  speaks^  and  these  beautiful  relics 
of  his  thought  and  heart  will  be  for  us  all  like  a feast- 
day  and  a perpetual  banquet. 

Given  at  Tarbes,  September  10,1871. 


t P.  A.,  Bishop  of  Tarbes. 


if '4*' '4^  ^ 

^ ,2Aa.  ^cAl  2^^  jiAa.  .iA\  ^ziA^ 

LETTER  of  the  BISHOP  of  CARCASSONNE. 


Carcassonne,  September  lo,  1871. 
Reverend  Father, 

I Thank  you  for  having  introduced  me  to  the  Life. 

and  Works  of  Reverend  Pere  Eymard.  I had  the 
happiness  of  personally  knowing  this  excellent  Reli- 
gious, and  I have  often  thanked  the  God  of  the 
Eucharist  for  having  been  able,  though  in  a very 
small  measure,  to  contribute  to  the  foundation  of  his 
pious  Institute.  Pere  Eymard’s  life  accorded  admira- 
bly with  the  Eucharistic  teachings  of  which  he  was  the 
apostle,  and  we  may  in  all  truth  apply  to  him  the 
word  of  our  Holy  Books  : Coepit  facere  et  docere. 

In  his  discourse  and  his  writings,  I saw  that  he  had, 
above  all,  commented  the  inexhaustible  theme  of  the 
Gospel  applied  to  the  Eucharist.  The  meditations  that 
you  have  culled.  Reverend  Father,  will  be  most  ac- 
ceptable to  devout  souls,  and  will  increase  their  love 
for  the  Sacrament  of  the  Altar. 

I desire  for  this  publication  the  legitimate  success 
that  it  deserves,  and  I beg  you.  Reverend  Father,  to 
accept  the  expression  of  my  most  respectful  and  de- 
voted homage  in  Our  Lord. 

t FRANCOIS, 

Bishop  of  Carcassonne. 


PREFACE 


OF  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


In  offering  to  devout  adorers  of  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament  these  Subjects  of  Adoration, 
ive  must  say  a word  07i  their  origin  and  the 
end  proposed  in  publishing  them. 


I 

The  Ve7y  Rev.  Pire  Ey mar d left  numerous 
mafiuscript  ?iotes  on  the  Most  Blessed  Sac- 
rament. 

These  notes  were  the  fruits  of  his  own  Ado- 
ration.^ and  they  served  for  the  basis  of  his 
serjiions.  He  practised  what  he  preached.^  he 
preached  as  he  had  prayed.^  and  what  he  had 
said  to  Our  Lord  in  the  secrecy  of  his  own 
heart.^  he  repeated  aloud  for  the  instruction  afid 
edificatio7i  of  his  hearers. 

We  have  classed  these  notes  in  a certain 
order.^  and  we  propose  to  publish  the77i  in  several 
series. 

The  first.,  that  which  now  appears.,  treats  of 


PREFACE. 


X 


ihe  Real  Presence  of  Our  Lord  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament,  His  state,  His  life  hi  the 
Eucharist. 

This  first  series  will  be  followed  by  ihe  Sub- 
jects of  Adoration  on  Holy  Conimunion,  and  a 
little  later  another  series  will  appear  07i  ihe 
Christian  virtues  formed  hi  the  school  of  the 
Eucharist. 

The  7ioies  we  publish  are  such  as  left  by  Fere 
Eymard.  We  have  added  very  little  to  them, 
saving  some  words  here  and  there  for  gt^eater 
clearness  of  expression. 

We  have  also  changed  something  in  the  tnode 
of  dialogue.  What  Pere  Eymard  addressed  to 
the  Eaiihful,  we  have  put  on  their  lips  in  their 
colloquies  with  Our  Lord. 

An  ufihiterrupted  treatise  on  ihe  Eucharist 
must  not  be  sought  hi  this  little  volume. 

Every  Adoration  forms  a whole  more  or  less 
complete,  sufficient  to  feed  the  piety  of  the 
Adorer,  though  leaving,  perhaps,  something  to 
be  desired  on  ihe  point  of  regular  order. 

To  the  meditations  taken  from  Fere  Ey- 
mard’s notes  we  have  added  some  gathered from 
his  spoken  word.  These  latter  are  not  less  pure. 


PREFACE. 


XI 


not  less  autheiitic  than  the  former.  Pere  Ey- 
mard  sometimes  read  the  copies  of  what  was 
taken  in  this  way^  and  in  them  he  recognized 
not  07ily  his  own  thought.,  but  eve^i  his  very 
expressions.  So  7nuch  for  the  origin  of  this 
Utile  book. 

II 

As  their  title  announces.^  the  following  pages 
are  only  Subjects  of  Adoration. 

Prayer  is  not  made  in  them.,  nor  are  they  so 
perfectly  developed  that  the  soul  can  find 
nothing  to  add  from  her  own  mine  and  accord- 
ing to  her  own  grace. 

The  breaks^  the  suspensions.,  will  even  facili- 
tate the  soaring  of  the  heart.  There  is  sufficient 
matter  to  serve  as  a guide^  but  not  enough  to 
dispense  the  soul  from  formulating  acts  of  her 
own. 

Adoration  is  a dialogue.  It  is  made  at  the 
feet  of  Our  Lord  living  and  present.  The  Ador- 
er must  speak  to  Him.,  question  Him,  listen, 
and  respond. 

Merely  to  read  iviihout giving  the  heart  time 
to  pour  itself  out  in  sweet  converse  with  Our 


XII 


PREFACE. 


Lord.^  would  be  to  deprive  this  good  Master  of 
what  He  looks  for  in  our  visits.  Jesus  is  a 
Prisojier.^  He  expects  from  us  S07ne  words  of 
comfort.  He  is  our  Friend.^  and  He  loves  to 
hear  us  express  our  affection. 

We  should,  then.,  close  our  book  from  twie 
to  time.,  making  use  of  it  only  as  a guide.,  an 
outlhie.,  and  speak  with  our  heart  as  best  we 
kfiow.  Our  Lord  understands  all  dialects., 
a7id  He  pays  little  atte7ition  to  the  purity  of 
la7iguage  if  it  C07nes  fro77i  a lovbig  heart. 

May  these  Subjects  of  Adoration  do  their 
part  in  feeding  the  devotio7i  that  is  daily 
spreadmg  7fiore  and  7nore  towa7'd  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacra7ne7it ! 

May  they  make  souls  understand  that  the 
Eucharist  is  not  only  the  Holy  Sacrifice.,  7iot 
only  Holy  Co77i77iunion^  but  still  77iore.,  Our 
Lord Jesus  Christ  personally  present  and  livmg 
to  love  7/1  a n^  to  abide  with  him.,  to  be  his  C0771- 
p anion ^ his  F7dend.,  his  Consoler^  his  Guide., 
and  to  obtain  in  return  his  heart  and  the 
ho77iage  of  his  thoughts  and  his  life  I 

We  have  few  re77iarks  to  //take  in  issuing 
this  edition.  The  first  was  received  with  so 


PREFACE.  XIII 

fnuch  favor ^ and  bought  up  in  so  short  a thne^ 
that  we  may  hope  a similar  success  for  this  one. 

Some  remarks  have  been  subrnitted  to  us  on 
such  or  such  an  expression.,  on  slight  shades  of 
meaning.,  and  other  details.  We  have  acted 
upon  them  as  far  as  we  possibly  could.  These 
corrections  regard  only  the  work  of  the  editor. 
The  thought  of  the  venerable  author  still  stands 
in  all  its  integrity. 

Fifteen  hitherto  unedited  meditations  notably 
increase  this  new  edition. 

One,  The  Method  of  Adoration  by  the  Four 
Ends  of  the  Holy  Sacrifice,  has  been  printed 
m consequeiice  of  the  notice  on  Fere  Eymard. 
It  here  finds  its  natural  place. 

The  Meditations  on  Our  Lord  considered 
as  the  Model  of  virtues  in  the  Eucharist,  and 
on  the  relation  of  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrameiit 
with  some  of  the  feasts  of  the  Christian  year, 
complete  the  thought  that  inspired  this  first 
Series  (p).  All  the  subjects  that  could  be  so 

I.  Nothing  relative  to  Mary  and  the  Eucharist  will 
by  found  in  this  volume.  A collection  of  Pbre  Ey?nard’s 
thoughts  on  OUR  LADY  OF  THE  MOST  BleSSED  SACRA- 
MENT has  been  published  under  the  title  Month  of  Our 


XIV  PREFACE, 

treated,,  will  not  he  found  here;  nor  are  all  the 
virtues,,  all  the  feasts,,  meditated  in  their  rela- 
tion with  the  FAicharist,  Pere  Eymard  never 
thought  of  7vri ting  a book^  7ior  did  he  dream 
of  his  words  ever  being  prmted.  We  leave  to 
souls  of  prayer  to  complete  what  is  here  only 
hinted  at.  We  open  to  them  the  umy.  It  is 
for  them  to  follow  it  in  prayer  a7id  recollectioii 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus  E^icharistic.  We  do  not 
present  a fifiished picture,  but  the  outline,  the 
plan,,  of  what  7night  be  called  The  Life  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament 
of  the  Altar. 

Lady  OF  the  Blessed  Sacrameis^t.  li  is  the  Month 
OF  Mary  for  souls  devoted  to  the  Holy  Eucharist. 


, Tt)e  Dlt»me  Gucbarist.  ^ 

6- ^ 

^ Adoration  « in  Spirit  and  in  Truth.  » ^ 


Pater  tales  quoerit  qtd  ado-  j The  Father  secketh  such  to 
rent  eum  in  spiriiu  et  veri-  adore  Him  in  spirit  and  in 
tate.  I truth.  (John  iv,  23.) 


I 

UCHARISTIC  Adoration  has  for 
its  object  the  Divine  Person  of 
Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  present 
in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment. 

In  that  Sacrament,  He  is  liv- 
ing, He  wishes  us  to  speak  to  Him,  and  He 
will  speak  to  us. 

Everyone  may  speak  to  Our  Lord.  Is  He  not 
there  for  all?  Does  He  not  say:  Come  ye  all 
to  me? 

This  familiar  converse  between  the  soul  and 


2 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Our  Lord  is  true  Eucharistic  meditation,  it  is 
adoration. 

Everyone  has  grace  for  it.  But  to  succeed 
in  it,  and  to  shun  routine  and  dryness  of  heart, 
the  adorers  should  draw  their  inspiration  from 
their  own  attraction  of  grace  or  from  the  differ- 
ent mysteries  of  Our  Lord’s  life,  from  the  Bless- 
ed Virgin  or  the  virtues  of  the  saints,  in  order 
to  honor  and  glorify  the  God  of  the  Eucharist 
by  all  the  virtues  of  His  mortal  life,  as  well  as 
by  those  of  the  saints,  of  whom  He  was  the 
grace  and  the  end,  and  of  whom  He  is  today 
the  crown  and  the  glory. 

Look  upon  the  hour  of  adoration  that  has 
fallen  to  you  as  a heavenly  hour,  an  hour  in 
Paradise.  Go  to  it  as  if  yiou  were  going  to  heav- 
en, to  the  Divine  Banquet,  and  this  hour  will 
be  longed  for,  will  be  hailed  with  joy.  Sweetly 
nourish  in  your  heart  the  desire  for  it.  Say  to 
yourself:  « In  four  hours,  in  two  hours,  in  one 
hour,  I shall  go  to  the  audience  of  grace  and 
love  with  Our  Lord.  He  has  invited  me.  He  is 
waiting  for  me.  He  wants  to  see  me.  » 

When  an  hour  painful  to  nature  falls  to  you, 
rejoice  even  more.  Your  love  will  be  greater, 
because  more  suffering.  That  is  a privileged 
hour.  It  will  count  for  two. 


ADORATION  IN  SPIRIT  AND  IN  TRUTH.  3 


When  through  infirmity,  sickness,  or  any  im- 
possibility, you  cannot  make  your  adoration,  be 
sad  of  heart  for  an  instant.  Then  adore  in  spirit 
and  in  union  with  the  other  adorers  of  the  mo- 
ment. In  your  bed  of  suffering,  on  a journey, 
or  during  the  occupation  that  detains  you,  ob- 
serve great  recollection  throughout  that  hour, 
and  you  will  reap  the  same  fruit  from  it  as  if 
you  had  gone  to  the  feet  of  the  good  Master. 
That  hour  will  be  credited  to  you,  and,  perhaps, 
even  doubled. 

Go  to  Our  Lord  just  as  you  are.  Make  a 
natural  meditation.  Exhaust  your  own  fund  of 
piety  and  love  before  you  make  use  of  books. 
Love  the  inexhaustible  book  of  humility  and 
love.  It  is  well  to  take  with  you  a pious 
book,  in  order  to  recall  your  thoughts  when 
your  mind  wanders  or  when  the  senses  are  dull. 
But  remember  that  our  good  Master  prefers  the 
poverty  of  our  heart  to  the  most  sublime 
thoughts  and  affections  borrowed  from  others. 

Understand  well  that  Our  Lord  wishes  our 
own  heart,  and  not  that  of  others.  He  wants  the 
thought  and  the  prayer  of  that  heart  as  the  nat- 
ural expression  of  love  for  Him. 

To  be  unwilling  to  go  to  Our  Lord  with  one’s 
own  misery,  one’s  own  humiliating  poverty,  is 


4 


TPIE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


often  the  fruit  of  subtle  self-love,  of  restlessness, 
or  tepidity.  And  yet  that  misery,  that  poverty, 
is  what  Our  Lord  prefers  to  every  other  state. 
He  loves  it.  He  blesses  it.  You  are  in  aridity? 
Glorify  the  grace  of  God,  without  which 
you  can  do  nothing.  Open  your  heart  to  heaven 
at  such  a moment,  as  the  flower  opens  its  chal- 
ice to  the  rising  sun,  to  catch  its  beneficent 
dew. 

Your  are  entirely  powerless  to  act  ? Your 
mind  is  in  darkness?  Your  poor  heart  is  fal- 
tering under  the  weight  of  its  worthlessness? 
Your  body  is  suffering?  Make,  then,  the 
adoration  of  the  poor  mendicant.  Rise  out  of 
your  poverty,  and  go  live  in  Our  Lord,  or  offer 
to  Him  your  poverty  that  He  may  enrich  it, 
for  that  is  the  master-stroke  worthy  of  His 
glory. 

You  are  in  a state  of  temptation  and  dis- 
tress? Your  whole  soul  revolts?  You  are  urged 
to  forego  your  adoration  under  the  pretext  that 
you  are  offending  God,  that  you  dishonor  Him 
more  than  you  serve  Him?  Hearken  not  to 
that  specious  temptation.  Make  the  adoration 
of  combat,  of  fidelity  to  Jesus  against  self.  No, 
no!  You  do  not  displease  Him.  You  rejoice 
your  Master,  who  is  looking  at  you,  and  who 


ADORATION  IN  SPIRIT  AND  IN  TRUTH.  5 


has  permitted  Satan  to>  trouble  you.  He  expects 
from  you  the  homage  of  perseverance  up  to  the 
last  moment  of  the  time  that  ought  to  be  conse- 
crated to  Him. 

Let  confidence,  simplicity,  and  love  lead  you 
to  adoration. 


H 

OULD  you  be  happy  in  love?  Live, 
then,  continually  in  the  goodness  of 
Jesus  Christ,  ever  fresh  for  you.  Contemplate 
in  Jesus  the  labor  of  His  love  for  you,  the 
beauty  of  His  virtues,  and  the  light  of  His  love 
rather  than  its  ardor.  In  us  the  fire  of  love 
passes  quickly,  but  His  truth  remaineth  forever. 

Begin  all  your  hours  of  adoration  with  an 
act  of  love,  and  you  will  thus  delightfully  open 
your  soul  to  His  divine  action.  It  is  because 
you  begin  by  self  that  you  pause  in  the  way; 
or  if  you  commence  by  any  virtue  other  than 
love,  you  wander  from  the  tifue  path.  Does  not 
the  child  embrace  the  mother  before  obeying 
her?  Love  is  the  only  portal  to  the  heart. 

Do  you  wish  to  be  high,  elevated  in  love? 
Speak  to  Love  of  Himself.  Speak  to  Jesus 
of  His  Heavenly  Father  whom  He  loves  so 


6 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


much.  Speak  to  Him  of  the  labors  that  He 
undertook  for  His  glory,  and  you  will  rejoice 
His  Heart.  He  will  love  you  more. 

Speak  to  Jesus  of  His  love  for  all  men.  That 
will  dilate  both  His  Heart  and  your  own  with 
joy  and  happiness.  Speak  to  Jesus  of  His  holy 
Mother  whom  He  loves  so  much,  and  you  will 
renew  for  Him  the  happiness  of  a good  Son. 
Speak  to  Him  of  His  saints,  in  order  to  glorify 
His  grace  in  them. 

The  true  secret  of  love  is,  like  St.  John  the 
Baptist,  to  forget  self,  in  order  to  exalt  and 
glorify  the  Lord  Jesus. 

True  love  looks  not  at  what  it  gives,  but 
only  at  what  the  Beloved  merits. 

Then  Jesus,  pleased  with  you,  will  speak  to 
you  of  yourself.  He  will  tell  you  of  His  love  for 
you,  and  your  heart  will  open  to  the  rays  of 
that  Sun  like  the  flower,  bathed  and  refreshed 
by  the  dews  of  night,  under  the  beams  of  the 
radiant  orb  of  day.  His  sweet  voice  will  pen- 
etrate your  soul  like  fire  consumingthe  substance 
that  offers  no  resistance.  Like  the  Spouse 
in  the  Canticles,  you  will  exclaim : « My 

soul  liquefied  with  joy  at  the  voice  of  my 
Beloved.  » You  will  hear  Him  in  silence, 


ADORATION  IN  SPIRIT  AND  IN  TRUTH. 


/ 


or  rather  in  the  sweetest  and  the  most  powerful 
action  of  love.  You  will  become  one  with 
Him. 

What,  most  unfortunately,  checks  the  growth 
of  grace  and  love  in  our  soul,  is  that,  hardly 
have  we  reached  the  feet  of  our  good  Master, 
before  we  begin  to  speak  to  Him  of  ourselves, 
our  sins,  our  defects,  our  spiritual  poverty.  In 
doing  so,  we  tire  the  mind  by  the  sight  of 
our  misery,  our  heart  grows  sad  under  the 
thought  of  our  ingratitude  and  infidelity.  Sad- 
ness gives  rise  to  pain,  pain  to  discouragement,- 
and  it  is  only  by  humility,  suffering,  and  trial, 
that  we  can  escape  from  that  labyrinth  into  the 
freedom  of  God. 

Ahl  let  us  do  so  no  more!  As  the  first 
movement  of  the  soul  ordinarily  determines 
every  action,  direct  that  first  movement  to 
God,  and  say  to  Him  : « O my  good  Jesus, 
how  glad  I am  to  come  to  see  Thee!  What 
satisfaction  I find  in  spending  this  hour  with 
Thee,  and  in  telling  Thee  my  love!  O how 
good  in  Thee  to  call  me!  How  sweet  in  Thee 
to  love  so  poor  a creature  as  I ! O yes ! I,  too, 
want  to  love  Thee!  » 

Love  then  opens  to  you  the  door  to  the 
Heart  of  Jesus.  Enter  therein,  love,  and  adore. 


The  Divine  Eucharist. 


8 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Ill 

N order  to  adore  well,  we  must  remem- 
ber that  Jesus  Christ,  present  in  the  Eu- 
charist, there  glorifies,  there  continues  all  the 
mysteries,  all  the  virtues,  of  His  mortal  life. 

We  must  remember  that  the  Holy  Eucharist 
is  Jesus  Christ  past,  present,  and  future;  that 
the  Holy  Eucharist  is  the  highest  development 
of  the  Incarnation  and  the  mortal  life  of  the 
Saviour;  that  Jesus  Christ  therein  gives  us  all 
graces;  that  all  truths  culminate  in  the  Eucha- 
rist; and  that,  in  naming  the  Holy  Eucharist, 
we  have  said  all,  since  the  Holy  Eucharist  is 
Jesus  Christ. 

Let  the  Holy  Eucharist  be,  then,  our  starting- 
point  in  the  meditation  of  the  myteries,  the  vir- 
tues, the  truths  of  religion.  It  is  the  furnace; 
those  truths  are  only  the  flames.  Let  us  start 
from  the  furnace,  and  we  shall  spread  around 
its  flames. 

What  more  simple  than  to  find  the  resem- 
blance between  the  Birth  of  Jesus  in  the  stable, 
and  His  sacramental  Birth  on  the  altar  and  in 
our  heart? 

Who  does  not  see  that  the  hidden  life  at 
Nazareth  is  continued  in  the  Host  of  the  Taber- 


ADORATION  IN  SPIRIT  AND  IN  TRUTH.  9 


nacle,  and  that  the  Passion  of  the  Man-God  is 
renewed  in  the  Holy  Sacrifice  at  every  mo- 
ment of  time  and  in  all  places  of  the  world? 

Is  not  Our  Lord  sweet  and  humble  in  the 
Blessed  Sacrament  as  He  was  during  His  mor- 
tal life? 

Is  He  not  always  there  the  Good  Shepherd, 
the  Divine  Consoler,  the  Friend  of  the  heart? 

Happy  the  soul  who  knows  how  to  find 
Jesus  in  the  Eucharist,  and  in  the  Eucharist  all 
things ! 


iAv  .cAa,  2A1 


PRACTICE  FOR  ADORATION. 


Semper  vivetis  ad  intetpel-  I Always  living  to  make  inter- 
landufu  pro  uodis.  1 cession  for  us.  (Heb.vii,25.) 

He  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass 
is  the  most  sublime  of  all 
prayers.  Jesus  Christ  offers 
Himself  in  it  to  His  Father, 
adoring  Him,  thanMng  Him, 
making  reparation  to  Him, 
and  petitioning  Him  in  behalf  of  His  Church, 
of  men.  His  brethren,  and  of  poor  sinners. 

This  august  prayer  Jesus  incessantly  contin- 
ues by  His  state  of  Victim  in  the  Eucharist. 
Let  us  unite  with  the  prayer  of  Our  Lord.  Let 
us,  like  Him,  pray  for  the  four  ends  of  the 
Sacrifice,  for  in  it  all  religion  is  summed  up, 
the  acts  of  all  virtues  comprised. 


Adoration. 


[He  act  of  Eucharistic  adoration  has  for 
divine  object  the  infinite  excellence  of 
Jesus  Christ,  worthy  in  itself  of  all  honor  and 
glory. 


PRACTICE  FOR  ADORATION. 


1 1 


Unite  your  praises  to  those  of  the  celestial 
court  when,  prostrate  before  the  throne  of  the 
Lamb,  they  cry  out  in  admiration:  « To  Him 
that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb  tha/t 
was  slain,  benediction  and  honor  and  glory 
and  power  and  divinity  forever  and  ever!  » 

Uniting  with  the  four  and  twenty  ancients 
casting  their  crowns  in  homage  before  the 
throne  of  the  Lamb,  lay  at  the  foot  of  the  Eu- 
charistic throne  the  homage  of  your  whole 
being,  of  your  faculties,  and  of  all  your  actions, 
saying  to  Him:  « To  Thee  alone  be  love  and 
glory!  » 

Contemplate  the  greatness  of  the  love  of 
Jesus,  instituting,  multiplying,  perpetuating  the 
Divine  Eucharist  even  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
Admire  His  wisdom  in  this  Divine  Invention, 
which  exacts  the  wonder  of  the  angels  them- 
selves. Praise  His  power,  which  has  triumphed 
over  all  obstacles.  Exalt  His  goodness,  which 
has  regulated  all  gifts. 

Break  out  into  transports  of  joy  and  love  at 
seeing  that  you  yourself  are  the  object  of  the 
greatest,  as  well  as  the  holiest,  of  the  Sacra- 
ments; for  Jesus  Christ  would  have  done  for 
you  alone  what  He  did  for  all.  O what  love! 

In  your  impotence  to  adore  Jesus  Christ  as 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


1 2 


He  deserves,  invoke  the  assistance  of  your 
good  angel,  that  faithful  companion  of  your 
life.  He  will  be  so  happy  to  do  with  you  here 
below  what  He  is  to  continue  eternally  with 
you  in  glory. 

Adore  in  union  with  Holy  Church  the  God 
whom  she  confides  to  you,  that  you  may  repre- 
sent her  at  His  feet. 

Unite  with  the  adoration  of  all  the  saints  on 
earth,  of  the  angels  and  the  blessed  in  heaven. 
But,  above  all,  unite  with  the  adoration  of  Mary 
and  Joseph  when,  sole  possessors  of  the  hidden 
God,  they  alone  formed  His  court  and  His 
family. 

Adore  Jesus  in  union  with  Jesus  Himself. 
That  is  the  most  perfect  adoration.  He  is  God 
and  man,  your  Saviour  and  your  Brother,  all 
in  one. 

Adore  the  Heavenly  Father  through  His 
Son,  the  object  of  all  His  complacency,  and 
then  your  adoration  will  be  of  the  same  value 
as  that  of  Jesus,  for  it  will  be  His  own. 

II  — Thanksgiving. 

Hanksgiving  is  the  act  of  love  sweetest 
to  the  soul  and  most  pleasing  to  God. 
It  is  perfect  homage  to  His  infinite  goodness. 


PRACTICE  FOR  ADORATION. 


13 


The  Eucharist  is  Itself  perfect  thanksgiving. 
The  word  Eucharist  means  thanksgiving.  In 
It  Jesus  renders  thanks  to  His  Father  for  us, 
and  that  is  our  true  thanksgiving. 

Thank  God  the  Father  for  having  given  you 
His  Divine  Son,  not  only  as  Saviour  on  the 
Cross,  but,  above  all,  as  your  Eucharist,  your 
Bread  of  Life,  your  Heaven  begun. 

Thank  the  Holy  Spirit  for  continuing  to  in- 
carnate Him  every  day  on  the  altar  by  the 
words  of  the  priest,  as  He  did  the  first  time  in 
the  virginal  womb  of  Mary. 

But  let  your  thanksgiving  rise  to  the  throne 
of  the  Lamb,  to  the  hidden  God,  as  incense  of 
sweet  odor,  as  the  most  delicious  harmony  of 
your  soul,  as  the  purest,  the  tenderest  love  of 
your  heart. 

In  humility  of  heart,  thank  as  St. Elizabeth 
thanked  in  presence  of  Mary  and  the  Incarnate 
Word.  Thank  with  the  thrills  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist  on  perceiving  the  nearness  of  his  Di- 
vine Master,  like  himself,  concealed  in  the 
womb  of  His  Mother.  Thank  with  the  joy  and 
generosity  of  Zaccheus,  receiving  the  visit  of 
Jesus  in  his  house.  Thank  with  the  Holy 
Church,  with  the  celestial  court.  That  your 
thanksgiving  may  be  continual  and  ever  on  the 


14 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


increase,  do  as  they  do  in  heaven.  Consider 
the  beauty,  the  goodness,  ever  ancient  and  ever 
new,  of  the  God  of  the  Eucharist,  who  is  con- 
sumed and  born  again  incessantly  on  the  altar 
for  love  of  us.  Contemplate  His  sacramental 
state,  the  sacrifices  that  He  has  made  since  the 
Last  Supper,  in  order  to  come  down  through 
the  ages  to  you;  the  combats  against  His  own 
glory  that  He  has  had  to  sustain,  in  order  to 
abase  Himself  to  the  very  verge  of  annihilation, 
thus  to  sacrifice  His  liberty.  His  body,  even 
His  external  appearance.  And  He  has  done  all 
that  without  condition  of  time  or  place,  aban- 
doning Himself  without  other  protection  than 
His -love  to  the  love,  yes,  more  frequently  to 
the  hatred  of  men. 

At  the  thought  of  the  Saviour’s  so  great 
goodness  for  all  mankind,  and,  above  all,  for 
yourself,  since  you  possess  Him,  enjoy  Him, 
live  of  Him,  open  your  heart,  and  pour  out 
your  thanksgivings  like  flames  from  a fiery 
furnace.  Let  them  envelop  the  Eucharistic 
shrine  that  they  may  unite  with,  be  lost  in  the 
divine  fire,  in  the  brilliant  and  consuming 
flames  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus.  May  these  two 
flames  rise  to  heaven,  even  to  the  throne  of 
God  the  Father,  who  has  given  you  His  Son,  in 
whom  you  receive  the  Holy  Trinity  entire! 


PRACTICE  FOR  ADORATION. 


15 


III  — Reparation. 


) thanksgiving  ought  to  succeed  the 
amende  honorable,  the  reparation,  or  the 


propitiation.  Your  heart  must  now  pass  from 
joy  to  sadness,  to  groans,  to  tears,  to  the  most 
profound  sorrow,  while  considering  the  ingrat- 
itude, the  indifference,  the  impiety  of  the  ma- 
jority of  men  toward  the  Eucharistic  Saviour. 
Behold,  how  men  forget  Jesus  after  having 
once  loved  and  adored  Him!  Is  He,  then,  no 
longer  lovable,  or  has  He  ceased  to  love  them  ? 
O what  ingrates  I It  is  because  He  is  too  loving 
that  they  no  longer  desire  to  love  Himl.  It  is  be- 
cause He  is  too  good  that  they  no  longer  wish 
to  receive  Him.  It  is  because  He  is  too  lowly, 
too  humble,  too  annihilated  for  them,  that  they 
desire  no  more  to  see  Him,  that  they  flee  from 
Him,  that  they  banish  His  presence  and  even 
His  memory,  which  annoys  and  importunes 
them. 

There  are  some  who,  unable  to  ignore  Him, 
their  good  Father,  their  sweet  Master,  take 
revenge  on  His  too  great  love  by  outraging 
and  denying  Him.  They  close  their  eyes  to 
that  Sun  of  love  that  they  may  no  longer  see 
It.  Among  those  ingrates  there  are,  alas ! sac- 


i6 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


rilegious  virgins,  unworthy  priests,  apostate 
hearts,  fallen  seraphim  and  cherubim.  O ador- 
ers, behold  the  work  before  you ! It  is  to  weep 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  despised  by  His  own,  cru- 
cified in  so  many  hearts,  abandoned  in  so  many 
places!  It  is  to  console  the  Heart  of  that  tender 
Father,  from  whom  the  demon.  His  arch- 
enemy, snatches  so  many  beloved  children  I 
A Prisoner  in  the  Eucharist,  He  can  no 
longer  run  after  His  lost  sheep,  exposed  to  the 
fangs  of  ravening  wolves.  Your  mission,  ador- 
ers, is  to  supplicate  grace  for  the  guilty,  and 
pay  their  ransom  to  the  divine  mercy,  which 
has  need  of  supplicating  hearts.  It  is  for  you  to 
become  victims  of  propitiation  with  Jesus  the 
Saviour,  who,  in  His  resuscitated  state  being 
no  longer  able  to  suffer,  will  suffer  in  you  and 
by  you. 

IV  — Petition. 

Astly,  petition  or  supplication,  must 
crown  adoration,  and  make  of  it  the  glo- 
rious trophy.  Impetration  is  the  strength,  the 
power*  of  Eucharistic  prayer.  All  cannot  preach 
Jesus  by  word  of  mouth,  nor  labor  directly  at 
the  conversion  of  sinners  and  the  sanctification 
of  souls;  but  every  adorer  has  the  mission  of 


PRACTICE  FOR  ADORATION. 


17 


prayer,  of  Eucharistic  prayer,  in  the  midst  of 
the  splendors  of  worship,  at  the  foot  of  the 
throne  of  grace  and  mercy.  To  pray  is  to 
glorify  the  infinite  goodness  of  God;  it  is  to 
render  the  divine  mercy  active;  it  is  to  rejoice, 
to  dilate  the  love  of  God  for  His  creature  by 
accomplishing  the  law  of  grace,  which  is  prayer. 
Prayer  is,  then,  man’s  greatest  glorification  of 
God.  Prayer  is  man’s  greatest  virtue.  It  is  a 
combination  of  all  the  virtues,  because  they  all 
prepare  it  and  compose  it.  Prayer  is  faith  be- 
lieving,  hope  supplicating,  love  demanding. 
Prayer  is  the  humility  of  the  heart  that  formu- 
lates it,  the  confidence  that  utters  it,  and  the 
perseverance  which  triumphs  over  God  Plim- 
self ! 

Eucharistic  prayer  has  a still  higher  excel- 
lence. Like  a fiery  dart  it  rises  directly  to  the 
heart  of  God.  It,  as  it  were,  restores  Jesus  to 
life  in  His  Sacrament,  unbinds  His  power,  and 
sets  Him  to  work.  Still  more,  the  adorer  prays 
through  Jesus  Christ.  He  places  Him  on  His 
throne  of  intercession  near  the  Father,  as  the 
Divine  Advocate  of  His  ransomed  brethren. 

But  why  is  it  necessary  to  pray?  This  sen- 
tence: « Adveniat  regnum  tuum  — Thy  king- 
dom come,  » ought  to  be  the  end,  as  well 


i8 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


as  the  rule,  of  every  adorer’s  prayer.  He 
ought  to  pray  that  the  light  of  the  truth  of 
Jesus  Christ  may  shine  upon  all  men,  upon 
infidels,  Jews,  heretics,  schismatics;  he  ought 
to  ask  for  their  return  to  the  true  Faith,  as  well 
as  to  true  charity. 

He  ought  to  pray  for  the  reign  of  Jesus’ 
sanctity  in  the  Faithful,  in  His  religious,  in 
His  priests,  that  He  may  live  in  them  by  His 
love.  He  ought  to  pray,  above  all,  for  the  Sov- 
ereign Pontiff,  for  all  intentions  dear  to  his 
heart,  for  the  Bishop  of  the  diocese,  that  God 
may  further  his  zealous  desires;  for  all  his 
priests,  that  God  may  bless  their  apostolic  la- 
bors, and  inflame  them  with  zeal  for  His  glory 
and  love  for  Holy  Church. 

In  order  to  vary  his  petitions,  the  adorer  may 
paraphrase  sometimes  the  Lord’s  Prayer,  the 
devout  Litany  of  the  Holy  Name  of  Jesus,  or 
the  following  beautiful  petitions: 

« Soul  of  Jesus  most  holy,  sanctify  me! 

« Body  of  Jesus,  save  me! 

« Most  pure  Heart  of  Jesus,  purify  me,  en- 
lighten me,  inflame  me! 

« Blood  of  Jesus,  inebriate  me! 

« Sacred  water  from  the  Side  of  Jesus, 
wash  me! 


PRACTICE  FOR  ADORATION. 


19 


« Passion  of  Jesus,  strengthen  me  I 

« Jesus,  hide  me  in  Thy  Wounds! 

« Permit  not  sin  ever  to  separate  me  from 
Thee! 

« Defend  me  from  the  evil  spirit! 

« Command  me  to  come  to  Thee  at  the  hour 
of  death,  that  with  all  the  saints  I may  praise 
Thee  eternally!  » Amen. 

Let  no  adorer  retire  from  the  presence  of 
his  Divine  Master  without  thanking  Him  for 
the  loving  audience  accorded  him.  Let  him 
ask  pardon  for  his  distraction  and  irreverence. 
Let  him  offer  in  faithful  homage  a flower  of 
virtue,  a bouquet  of  little  sacrifices.  This  done, 
let  him  depart  as  from  the  Cenacle,  as  the 
angels  leave  the  throne  of  God  to  fly  to  the 
accomplishment  pf  His  divine  commands. 


METHOD  of  ADORATION 


by  the  FOUR  ENDS  of  the 


HOLY  SACRIFICE  of  the  MASS. 


E divide  the  hour  of  adoration 
into  four  parts.  At  each  quar- 
ter we  honor  Our  Lord  by  one 
of  the  four  ends  of  the  Holy 
Mass,  namely : Adoration, 
Thanksgiving,  Reparation, 


and  Petition. 


FIRST  quarter.  — Adoration. 

1.  First  adore  Our  Lord  in  His  Divine  Sac- 
rament by  the  exterior  homage  of  the  body. 
Kneel  as  soon  as  you  perceive  Jesus  in  the 
Adorable  Host.  Prostrate  in  deep  respect  be- 
fore Him  as  a sign  of  your  submission  and 
love.  Adore  Him  in  union  with  the  Magi  Kings 
when,  prostrate  on  the  earth,  they  adored  the 
Infant  God  laid  in  His  humble  crib  and  cov- 
ered with  poor  swathing-bands. 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


2 I 


2.  After  this  first  act  of  silent  and  sponta- 
neous homage,  adore  Our  Lord  by  an  act  of 
exterior  faith.  This  act  is  very  useful  to  awaken 
the  senses,  the  heart,  and  the  mind  to  Eucha- 
ristic piety.  It  will  open  to  you  the  heart  of 
Jesus  with  Its  treasures  and  graces.  It  is  very 
necessary  to  be  faithful  to  it,  and  to  make  it 
holily  and  devoutly. 

3.  Next  offer  to  Jesus  Christ  the  homage  of 
your  whole  being.  Particularize  the  homage  of 
each  of  the  faculties  of  your  soul:  of  your 
mind  in  order  to  know  Him  better,  of  your 
heart  to  love  Him,  of  your  will  to  serve  Him, 
of  your  body  with  its  different  senses  to  glorify 
Him,  each  in  its  own  manner.  Offer  to  Him, 
above  all,  the  homage  of  your  intellect, 
desiring  that  the  Divine  Sacrament  may  be  the 
royal  thought  of  your  life;  of  your  affections, 
calling  Jesus  Christ  the  King  and  the  God  of 
your  heart;  of  your  will,  wishing  no  other  law, 
no  other  end,  than  His  service.  His  love,  and 
His  glory;  of  your  memory,  to  think  only  of 
Him,  and  thus  to  live  only  of  Him,  and  for 
Him. 

4.  As  your  adoration  is  so  imperfect,  unite 
it  to  that  bf  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin  at  Bethle- 
hem, at  Nazareth,  on  Calvary,  in  the  Cenacle, 


22 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


at  the  foot  of  the  tabernacle.  Unite  it  to  the 
adoration  going  on  in  the  whole  Church,  to 
that  of  all  holy  souls  who  are  adoring  Our 
Lord  at  tliat  very  moment,  and  with  the  whole 
court  of  heaven  ever  glorifying  Him. 'Your  ado 
ration  will  then  share  in  the  holiness  and  the 
merit  of  theirs. 

SECOND  QUARTER.  — Thanksgiving. 

1.  Adore  and  bless  the  immense  love  of 
Jesus  for  you  in  this  Sacrament  of  Himself. 
In  order  not  to  leave  you  alone  and  an  orphan 
in  this  land  of  exile  and  misery,  He  comes  from 
heaven  to  you  personally  to  be  your  companion 
and  consoler.  Thank  Him,  then,  with  all  your 
love  and  all  your  strength;  thank  Him  in  union 
with  all  the  saints. 

2.  Admire  the  sacrifices  that  He  imposes  on 
Himself  in  this.  His  Sacramental  state.  He 
hides  His  divine  and  corporal  glory  in  order 
not  to  dazzle  and  blind  you;  He  veils  His  ma- 
jesty that  you  may  dare  approach  Him  and 
speak  to  Him  as  friend  to  friend ; He  binds  His 
power  not  t o affright  or  punish  you ; He  does 
not  let  you  see  the  perfection  of  His  virtues 
in  order  not  to  discourage  your  weakness;  He 
even  tempers  the  ardor  of  His  Heart,  His  love 


METHOD  OF  ADORATION. 


23 


for  you,  because  you  would  not  be  able  to  bear 
its  strength  and  tenderness;  He  lets  you  see 
only  His  goodness,  which  escapes  through  the 
Sacred  Species,  like  the  rays  of  the  sun  through 
a passing  cloud.  O how  good  is  Jesus  Sacra- 
mental! He  receives  you  at  every  hour  of  the 
day  and  night.  His  love  never  sleeps.  He  is 
always  full  of  sweetness  for  you.  He  forgets 
your  sins  and  imperfections  when  you  go  to 
see  Him,  to  tell  you  only  of  His  joy.  His  ten- 
derness, and  His  love.  On  receiving  you,  one 
might  say  that  He  has  need  of  you  to  be  hap- 
py. O thank  Him,  this  good  Jesus,  with  your 
whole  soul!  Thank  the  Father  for  having  given 
you  His  Divine  Son.  Thank  the  Holy  Spirit 
for  having  incarnated  Him  anew  upon  the  altar 
by  the  ministry  of  the  priest,  and  for  you  in 
particular.  Invite  heaven  and  earth,  the  angels 
and  men  to  help  you  to  thank,  bless,  and  exalt 
so  great  love  for  you. 

3.  Contemplate  the  sacramental  state  in 
which  Jesus  has  placed  Himself  for  love  of 
you,  and  imbibe  the  sentiments  of  His  life.  In 
the  Eucharist  He  is  as  poor,  and  even  poorer, 
than  at  Bethlehem;  for  at  Bethlehem  He  had 
His  Mother,  and  here  He  has  not.  He  brings 
nothing  from  heaven  but  His  love  and  His 

The  Divine  Eucharist,  3 


24 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


graces.  See  how  obedient  He  is  in  the  Divine 
Host.  Promptly  and  meekly  He  obeys  every 
one,  even  His  enemies.  Admire  His  humility. 
He  descends  even  to  the  verge  of  annihilation, 
since  He  unites  Himself  sacramentally  with 
vile  and  inanimate  species,  'which  have  no  nat- 
ural support,  no  other  consistency  than  that 
given  them  by  His  almighty  power,  which 
preserves  them  by  a continual  miracle.  His 
love  for  us  makes  Him  our  Prisoner.  He 
is  chained  even  to  the  end  of  the  world  in  His 
Eucharistic  prison,  which  ought  to  be  our  heav- 
en on  earth. 

4.  Unite  your  thanksgiving  to  that  of  the 
Most  Blessed  Virgin  after  the  Incarnation  and, 
above  all,  after  Communion.  Joyfully  and  exult- 
ingly  repeat  with  her  the  Magnificat  of  your 
love  and  gratitude,  and  say  unceasingly : O 
how  good,  and  loving,  and  sweet  art  Thou,  Je- 
sus, in  the  Sacred  Host! 

THIRD  QUARTER.  — Reparation. 

1.  Adore  and  visit  Jesus  neglected  and  aban- 
doned in  His  Sacrament  of  Love.  Men  have 
time  for  everything  excepting  to  visit  their 
Lord  and  their  God,  who  is  waiting  for  them, 
longing  for  them  in  His  tabernacle.  The  streets 


MEiHOD  OF  ADORATION. 


25 


and  the  pleasure  resorts  are  full  of  people;  the 
house  of  God  alone  is  deserted.  They  shun  it, 
they  fear  it.  O poor  Jesus,  couldst  Thou  have 
foreseen  so  much  indifference  from  those 
Thou  hadst  redeemed,  from  Thy  friends,  Thy 
children,  yes,  from  myself? 

2.  Weep  over  Jesus  betrayed,  insulted,  de- 
rided, crucified  much  more  ignominiously  in 
His  Sacrament  of  Love  than  in  the  Garden  of 
Olives,  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  and  on  Cal- 
vary. And  who  are  they  that  offend  Him  most, 
dishonor  Him  in  His  temples  by  their  little 
respect,  who  crucify  Him  anew  in  their  body 
and  in  their  soul  by  sacrilegious  Communion, 
who  sell  Him  thus  to  the  demon,  already  the 
master  of  their  heart  and  their  life?  Ah,  they 
are  those  whom  He  has  most  honored,  most 
loved,  most  enriched  with  His  gifts  and  graces ! 
Alas ! have  I nothing  with  which  to  re- 
proach myself?  Couldst  Thou  think,  O my 
Jesus,  that  Thy  too  great  love  for  man  would 
become  the  object  of  his  malice,  and  that  he 
would  turn  Thy  most  precious  gifts  and  graces 
against  Thee?  And  I myself?  Have  I,  too, 
not  been  unfaithful  ? 

3.  Adore  Jesus,  and  repair  the  immense  in* 
gratitude,  the  profanations,  and  sacrileges  that 


26 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


flood  the  world.  Offer  for  this  intention  all  the 
sufferings  that  you  shall  have  to  endure  dur- 
ing the  day,  during  the  week.  Impose  some 
satisfactory  penance  upon  yourself  for  your 
own  offences  and  for  those  of  your  relatives, 
or  for  those  that  you  may  have  disedified  by 
your  want  of  reverence  in  the  holy  place,  by 
your  indevotion. 

4.  But  because  all  the  satisfaction  you  can 
offer,  all  the  penance  you  can  do,  are  so  small, 
so  insufficient  to  repair  so  many  crimes,  unite 
them  with  those  of  Jesus,  your  Saviour,  elevated 
on  the  Cross.  Gather  up  the  Precious  Blood 
flowing  from  His  wounds  and  offer  it  to  Divine 
Justice  as  propitiation.  Take  His  sufferings 
and  His  prayer  on  the  Cross,  and  through  them 
beg  the  Heavenly  Father  for  grace  and  mercy 
for  yourself,  and  all  sinners.  Unite  your  repara- 
tion to  that  of  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin  at  the 
foot  of  the  Cross,  or  at  the  foot  of  the  altar, 
and  you  will  share  in  Jesus’  love  for  His  Divine 
Mother. 

FOURTH  QUARTER.  — Petition. 

1.  Adore  Our  Lord  in  His  Divine  Sacrament 
incessantly  petitioning  His  Father  for  us,  show- 
ing Him  His  Wounds  in  order  to  move  Him 


METHOD  OF  ADORATION. 


27 


to  mercy,  His  Heart  open  on  account  of  you 
and  for  you.  Unite  your  prayer  with  His,  im- 
plore what  He  implores. 

2.  Jesus  begs  His  Father  to  bless,  defend, 
exalt  His  Church  that  she  may  make  Him  bet- 
ter known,  loved,  and  served  by  all  men.  Pray 
earnestly  for  the  Holy  Church  so  tried,  so 
persecuted  in  the  person  of  Christ’s  Vicar,  that 
God  may  deliver  him  from  his  enemies,  who 
are  his  own  children;  that  He  may  touch  them, 
convert  them,  and  lead  them  back  humble  and 
penitent  to  His  mercy  and  justice.  Jesus  con- 
stantly prays  for  all  the  members  of  His  priest- 
hood, that  they  may  be  filled  with  His  Holy 
Spirit,  with  His  virtues,  with  zeal  for  His 
glory,  that  they  may  be  thoroughly  devoted 
to  the  salvation  of  the  souls  that  He  has  pur- 
chased at  the  price  of  His  Blood  and  His  Life. 

Pray  earnestly  for  your  Bishop  that  God  may 
preserve  him,  bless  all  his  zealous  desires,  and 
console  him.  Pray  much  for  your  pastor  that 
God  may  multiply  the  graces  of  which  he  has 
need  for  directing  and  sanctifying  the  flock 
confided  to  his  care  and  conscience.  Pray  ar- 
dently that  God  may  grant  His  Church  numer- 
ous and  holy  vocations  to  the  priesthood.  One 
holy  priest  is  the  greatest  of  Heaven’s  gifts. 


28 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


He  can  save  a whole  country.  Pray  for  all  the 
Religious  Orders  that  they  may  be  very  faith- 
ful to  the  graces  of  their  evangelical  vocation, 
and  that  all  whom  God  calls  thereto  may  have 
the  courage  and  the  love  to  follow  the  divine 
call  and  to  persevere  in  it.  One  saint  protects 
and  saves  his  country.  His  prayer  and  his  virtue 
are  more  powerful  than  all  the  armies  in  the 
world. 

3.  Pray  for  the  fervor  and  perseverance  of 
pious  souls  vowed  to  the  service  of  God  in  the 
world,  and  who  live  there  like  the  religious  of 
His  love  and  mercy.  They  have  more  need  of 
help,  because  they  have  to  encounter  more 
dangers  and  make  more  sacrifices. 

4.  During  a determined  period  of  time,  ask 
for  the  conversion  of  some  great  sinner.  Noth- 
ing is  more  glorious  to  God  than  these  great 
strokes  of  His  grace.  Lastly,  pray  for  yourself 
that  you  may  become  better  and  pass  the  pres- 
ent day  holily.  Make  a bouquet  of  your  gifts 
to  Jesus,  your  King  and  your  God,  and  ask 
His  benediction. 


-gM^  jpyj^  .gM  J^5\.  JsQ^^gQa 


5v^— ^ 

, THE  PATER  NOSTER  (■).  ^ 


Amen,  amen,  dico  vohis, 
quodcutngue  petieritis  Pa- 
tre7n  in  nornine  meo,  hoc  fa- 
ciam,  7it  glorificetur  Pater 
in  Filio. 


Amen,  amen,  I say  to  you, 
whatsoever  you  shall  ask  the 
Father  in  My  name,  that  will 
I do,  that  the  Father  may  be 
glorified  in  the  Son. 

(John  xiv,  13.) 


I.  Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven,  in  the  heav- 
en of  the  Eucharist,  to  Thee  who  art  seated  on 
that  throne  of  grace  and  love,  be  honor,  bene- 
diction, glory,  and  power  forever  and  ever ! 

II.  Hallowed  he  Thy  name,  first  in  us,  by  Thy 
spirit  of  humility,  obedience,  and  charity!  Then 
may  we,  full  of  devotedness  and  humility,  make 
Thee  known,  loved,  and  adored  by  all  in  Thy 
Eucharist  I 


(We  feel  that  we  ought  to  give  the  Latin  text  of  this 
paraphrase,  for  Pere  Eymard’s  whole  soul  is  poured  out 
in  it.) 

I.  Pater  noster,  qui  es  hi  ccelis,  coelis  Eucharisticis, 
tibi  sedenti  in  throno  amoris  et  gratige,  benedictio, 
honor,  et  gloria,  et  potestas  in  sagcula  sseculorum  ! 

II.  Sanctificetur  nomen  tuuni,  in  nobis  : huniilitatis, 
obedientias  et  charitatis  tuae  spiritu  ; et  Te  in  Eucha- 
ristia  cognosci,  adorari  et  amari  ab  omnibus  faciamus 
humiles  et  devoti. 


30  THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


III.  Thy  kingdom  come,  Thy  kingdom  Eu- 
charistic 1 Reign  alone  and  forever  over  us  by 
the  empire  of  Thy  love,  by  the  triumph  of  Thy 
virtues  over  our  defects,  by  the  dominion  of 
grace  and  Eucharistic  vocation!  / 

Grant  us  the  grace  and  the  mission  of  Thy 
holy  love  that,  all-powerful,  we  may  preach, 
extend,  spread  everywhere  Thy  Eucharistic 
reign,  that  thereby  it  may  be  given  us  to 
fulfil  the  desire  Thou  didst  express  in  these 
words:  « I am  come  to  bring  fire  upon  the 
earth ; and  what  will  I but  that  it  be  en- 
kindled? » O that  we  may  be  the  incen- 
dianes  of  this  heavenly  fire! 

IV.  Thy  will  he  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heav- 


III.  Adveniat  regnum  tuum  Eucharisticum  ! Regna 
solus  in  aeternum  super  nos,  amoris  tui  imperio,  virtutum 
tuarum  triumpho,  gratia*  vocationis  Eucharisticae  dono, 
ad  majorem  tuam  gloriam  ! 

Dona  nobis  gratiam  et  missionem  sanctae  tuae  dilec- 
tionis,  ut  regnum  tuum  Eucharisticum  praedicare,  exten- 
dere,  diffundere,  ubique  valeamus  potentes,  et  sic  desi- 
derium  tuum  implere  quando  dicebas  : « Ignem  veni 
mittere  in  terram,  et  quid  volo  nisi  ut  accendatur?  » 
Utinam  et  nos  hujus  ignis  coelestis  simus  incendiarii  ! 

IV.  Fiat  voluntas  tua,  sicut  in  ccbIo  et  in  terra!  To. 
unum  velle,  Te  unum  desiderare,  Te  unum  cogitare 
gaudeamus  ; semper  et  in  omnibus  abnegantes  nos  ut 
obedientia  tua  bona,  beneplacens  et  perfecta,  in  nobis 
sit  lux  et  vita.  — Et  quoad  societatis  nostrae  statum  et 


THE  PATER  NOSTER.  3 1 

en ! Grant  that  all  our  joy  may  consist  in  think- 
ing by  Thee  alone,  in  desiring  by  Thee  alone, 
in  willing  by  Thee  alone!  Always  and  in  all 
things,  may  we,  renouncing  self,  find  light  and 
life  only  in  obedience  to  Thy  will,  ever  good, 
pleasing,  and  perfect!  As  to  the  condition  and 
progress  of  our  Eucharistic  Congregation,  I will 
what  Thou  dost  will;  I will  it,  because  Thou 
dost  will  it;  I will  it  as  Thou  dost  will  it;  I 
will  it  as  much  as  Thou  dost  will  it!  Perish 
every  desire,  every  thought  not  purely  from 
Thee,  in  Thee,  and  for  Thee! 

V.  Give  this  day  our  daily  bread  I Lord 
Jesus,  who  didst  daily  rain  manna  in  the  desert 
for  the  needs  of  Thy  people,  who  didst  will  to 


progressum,  volo  quod  vis  ; volo  quia  vis ; volo  quomodo 
vis  ; volo  quamdiu  vis  ; pereant  cogitationes  nostras  et 
desideria,  si  ex  Te,  ad  Te,  in  Te  pure  non  sunt ! 

V.  Panetn  nostrum  quotidianu7n  da  nobis  hodie.  Do- 
mine  Jesu,  qui  mannam  in  deserto  quotidie  populis 
praebuisti,  qui  Levitis  pars  et  haereditas  sola  et  tota 
esse  voluisti,  qui  Apostolis  paupertatem  tuam  divinam 
legasti ; Te  solum  provisorem  et  procuratorem  in  omni- 
bus volumus  et  eligimus  ; Tu  solus  cibus  et  vestis  the- 
saurus et  gloria,  medicina  in  malo  et  protectio  ab  hosti- 
bus.  Nihil  a favore  humano,  nihil  ab  amicitia  mundi 
accipere  nec  etiani  desiderare  promittimus.  Tu  eris  nobis 
omnia,  et  homines,  et  ab  hominibus,  nihil,  nisi  crux  et 
oblivio ! 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


32 


be  the  sole  share  and  inheritance  of  the  Levites, 
who  didst  bequeath  Thy  divine  poverty  to 
Thine  Apostles,  we  desire  Thee  in  all  things 
to  be  our  Treasurer  and  Provider.  We  choose 
Thee  as  such.  Do  Thou  Thyself  be  our  food 
and  our  raiment,  our  treasure  and  our  glory, 
our  remedy  in  sickness  and  our  protection 
against  our  enemies.  We  promise  Thee  not  to 
receive,  not  even  to  desire  anything  from 
human  favor.  We  want  nothing  from  the  friend- 
ship of  the  world.  Thou  alone  wilt  be  all  to  us, 
and  creatures  nothing.  From  men  we  desire 
nothing  but  the  cross  and  forgetfulness. 

VI.  Forgive  us  our  trespasses.  Forgive,  O 
Lord  Jesus,  the  sins  of  my  youth!  Forgive  the 
sins  committed  in  my  holy  vocation  that  with 


VI.  Et  dUniite  nobis  debita  nostra.  Farce,  Domine 
Jesu,  peccatis  juventutis  meas  I Farce  peccatis  in  voca- 
lione  tarn  sancta  patratis,  ut  corde  pure  et  conscientia 
bona  digne  ad  sacrum  altare  tuum  accedere  audeam, 
sancteque  tibi  servire,  te  laudare  cum  angelis  et  sanctis 
merear.  Dimitte  delicta  in  nos  commissa,  ne  vindictam 
sumas  de  oppugnantibus,  calumniantibus  et  persequen- 
tibus  nos.  Da  eis  bonum  pro  malo,  gratiam  pro  delicto, 
amorem  pro  odio. 

Sicutet  nos  dUnittim^is  debitoribus  nostris,  toto  corde, 
in  charitate  vera  ; tota  menta,  in  simplicitate  infantium; 
tota  vpluntate,  illis  omnia  bona  tua,  et  nobis  deside- 
rantes  et  procurantes  in  amore  tuo. 


THE  PATER  NOSTER.  33 

a pure  heart  and  a quiet  conscience,  I may 
less  unworthily  venture  to  approach  Thy  holy 
altar,  to  serve  Thee  purely,  and  to  deserve  to 
praise  Thee  with  the  angels  and  saints!  For- 
give, O Lord,  the  wrongs  that  they  do  us ; 
avenge  not  those  that  oppose  us,  calumniate 
us,  persecute  us!  Render  to  them  good  for 
evil,  grace  for  crime,  love  for  hate! 

As  p)e  forgive  those  that  trespass  against  us. 
Yes,  with  our  whole  heart,  with  true  charity, 
with  our  whole  soul,  and  with  the  simplicity  of 
children,  we  desire  truly  and  freely  to  procure 
for  them  as  for  ourselves  all  the  gifts  of  Thy 
love. 

VII.  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation.  Remove 
from  Thy  Eucharistic  family  false,  deceitful, 
and  impure  vocations!  Never  permit  this  poor 
and  humble  little  Congregation  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  a proud  and  ambitious,  or  of  a hard 


VII.  Et  ne  nos  inducas  in  tentationetn . Longe  fac  a 
familia  tua  Eucharistica,  vocationes  subdolosas,  falsas, 
impuras.  Nullus  superbus  et  ambitiosus,  durus,  et  ira- 
cundus,  hanc  humilem  et  pauperem  farailiam  unquam 
regat.  Ne  tradas  bestiis  inimundis  et  perversis  animas 
confitentes  tibi.  Redde  tuani  societatem  a scandalo  im- 
munem,  a vitio  virginem,  a servitute  mundana  liberam, 
a saeculo  alienam,  ut  tibi  in  sanctitate  et  libertate,  in 
pace  et  quiete  servire  gaudeat. 


34  the  divine  EUCHARIST. 

and  passionate  man!  Deliver  not  to  perverse 
and  ferocious  beasts  souls  that  hope  in  Thee 
alone  I 

Preserve  Thy  Eucharistic  family  from  every 
scandal  I Keep  it  pure  from  vice,  free  from  the 
servitude  of  the  world,  unknown  to  the  world, 
that  it  may  find  all  its  joy  in  serving  Thee  in 
holiness,  liberty,  peace,  and  tranquillity. 

Deliver  us  from  the  proud  and  impure  de- 
mon, from  the  sower  of  discord.  Deliver  us 
from  the  cares  and  solicitudes  of  this  life,  in 
order  that  we  may  consecrate,  with  a pure 
heart  and  a free  mind,  all  that  we  have  and 
all  that  we  are  to  Thy  Eucharistic  service. 
Deliver  us  from  false  brethren  lest  they  crush 
this  little  Society  still  in  its  infancy;  from  the 
worldly  wise,  lest  they  corrupt  the  simplicity 

VIII.  Sed  lihera  nos  a malo.  Libera  nos  a daemone 
superbo,  impure  et  discordiarum  seniinatore.  Libera  nos 
ab  hujus  vitae  solicitudinibus  et  curis,  ut  pure  cum 
corde  et  libera  mente,  toti  servitio  Eucharistico  devoti 
nos  et  nostra  gaudenter  impendamus.  Libera  nos  afalsis 
fratribus,  ne  infantilem  societatem  tuam  opprimant  ; a 
sapientibus  hujus  saeculi,  ne  spiritum  tuum  in  nobis 
vitientur  ; a viris  doctis  et  superbis,  ne  in  nos  iracundiam 
tuam  et  derelictionem  provocent ; a viris  effeminatis,  ne 
virtutis  ardorem  et  sanctae  disciplinae  vigorem  emolliant ; 
a viro  duplici  animo  et  inconstant!,  ne  simplicitatem 
nostram  perturbent. 


THE  PATER  NOSTER.  35 

of  our  spirit;  from  proud  scholars,  lest  they 
provoke  Thy  anger;  from  weak  and  effeminate 
men,  lest  they  relax  the  vigor  of  holy  discipline 
and  the  fervor  of  virtue;  from  inconstant  and 
double-dealing  men,  lest  they  impose  upon  our 
simplicity. 

Amen.  In  Thee,  O Lord  Jesus,  have  I hoped! 
I shall  not  be  confounded  forever.  Thou 
alone  art  good,  Thou  alone  art  powerful.  Thou 
alone  art  eternal!  To  Thee  alone  be  honor 
and  glory,  love  and  thanksgiving  forever  and 
ever! 


Amen.  In  teDomine  Jesu,  speravi,  non  confundar  in 
aeternum.  Tu  solus  bonus,  Tu  solus  potens,  Tu  solus 
aeternus  ! Tibi  soli  honor  et  gloria,  amor  et  gratiarum 
actio  in  saeculorum  saecula. 


% '4*' *4^ '4^  '4*' 


THE  INSTITUTION  OF  THE 
EUCHARIST. 


Cum  dilexisset  suos  qui 
erant  in  fuundo,  in yine7n  dU 
lexit  eos. 


Jesus,  having  loved  His  own 
who  were  in  the  world,  loved 
them  unto  the  end. 

(John  xiii,  2.) 


Ow  good  is  our  Lord  Jesus! 
how  loving!  Not  satisfied  with 
having  become  our  Brother 
by  His  Incarnation,  our  Sav- 
iour by  His  Passion,  — not 
content  with  having  delivered 
Himself  for  us,  He  wills  to  carry  His  love  so 
far  as  to  make  Himself  our  Sacrament  of  Life! 


With  what  joy  He  made  ready  this  great, 
this  supreme  Gift  of  His  love! 

With  what  satisfaction  He  instituted  the 
Eucharist,  and  bequeathed  It  to  us  as  His 
Legacy  1 

Let  us  follow  Divine  Wisdom  in  His  prepu- 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


37 


ration  for  the  Eucharist.  Let  us  adore  His 
power,  exhausting  itself  in  this  act  of  love. 

I 

Ong  before  Its  institution,  Jesus  revealed 
the  Eucharist. 

was  born  in  Bethlehem,  the  house  of 
bread,  domus  panis.  There  He  was  cradled 
upon  straw,  which  then  bore,  as  it  were,  the 
real  ear  of  wheat. 

At  Cana,  when  He  changed  water  into  wine, 
and  in  the  desert,  when  He  multiplied  the 
loaves,  it  was  the  Eucharist  that  He  was 
foreshadowing;  and  in  the  desert,  as  we  know, 
to  the  foreshadow  He  added  a clear  promise 
of  the  Eucharist.  — It  was  a public  and  formal 
promise. 

He  swore  with  an  oath  that  He  would  give 
His  Flesh  to  be  eaten  and  His  Blood  to  be 
drunk. 

That  was  the  remote  preparation.  Now 
comes  the  moment  to  prepare  more  imme- 
diately for  the  Eucharist. 

Here  Jesus  wills  to  do  all  Himself.  Love 
never  makes  over  its  obligatioins  to  others. 
Love  does  all  itself.  It  glories  in  so  doing. 


38 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


First  of  all,  Jesus  designates  the  city,  Jeru- 
salem, the  city  of  sacrifice  in  the  Old  Law. 

He  points  out  the  house  — the  Cenacle. 

Next,  He  chooses  Hij  ministers  for  the  work 
— Peter  and  John  — Peter,  the  disciple  of 
faith;  and  John,  the  disciple  of  love. 

He  appoints  the  hour  — the  last  of  His  life 
of  which  He  can  freely  dispose. 

Lastly,  He  goes  from  Bethany  to  the  Cen- 
acle. He  is  full  of  joy.  His  step  is  quick,  He 
does  not  tarry  on  the  way.  Love  flies  to 
meet  sacrifice. 


II 

Ow  behold  the  institution  of  the  august 
Sacrament.  What  a moment ! Love’s 
hour  has  struck.  The  Mosaic  Pasch  is  about 
to  terminate.  The  true  Lamb  is  going  to  suc- 
ceed the  figure.  The  Bread  of  Life,  the  Living 
Bread,  the  Bread  of  Heaven,  will  take  the  place 
of  the  manna  of  the  desert...  All  is  ready.  The 
Apostles  are  clean,  for  Jesus  has  just  finished 
washing  their  feet.  Jesus  seats  Himself  quietly 
at  the  table.  The  new  Pasch  must  be  eaten 
seated,  in  the  repose  of  God. 

Profound  silence  reigns.  The  Apostles  are 


THE  INSTITUTION  OF  THE  EUCHARIST.  39 


all  attention,  their  eyes  fixed  on  their  Master. 

Jesus  recollects  Himself.  Then  He  takes 
the  Bread  in  His  holy  and  venerable  hands, 
raises  His  eyes  to  heaven,  gives  thanks  to  His 
Father  for  this  hour  so  longed  for,  extends 
His  hand,  and  blesses  the  bread... 

The  Apostles  look  on,  full  of  respect,  not 
daring  to  ask  the  meaning  of  these  mysterious 
actions,  while  Jesus  pronounces  those  ravish- 
ing words,  as  powerful  as  the  word  creative: 
Take  ye  and  eat,  this  is  My  Body.  Take  ye  and 
drink,  this  is  My  Blood ! 

The  mystery  of  love  is  accomplished.  Jesus 
has  fulfilled  His  promise.  He  now  has  nothing 
more  tio  give  but  His  mortal  life  upon  the 
Cross.  That,  too.  He  will  give,  and  then  He 
will  rise  again  to  become  our  perpetual  Host 
of  Propitiation,  our  Host  of  Communion,  our 
Host  of  Adoration. 

Heaven  is  ravished  at  sight  of  this  mystery. 
The  Most  Holy  Trinity  contemplates  it  with 
love.  The  angels  adore  lost  in  admiration. 

The  demons  in  hell  tremble  with  rage... 

Yes,  Lord  Jesus,  all  is  accomplished!  Thou 
hast  nothing  more  to  give  to  man  by  which  to 
prove  to  him  Thy  love.  Thou  canst  now  die, 
but  Thou  wilt  not  leave  us  even  in  dying.  Thy 


The  Divine  Eucharist. 


4 


40 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


love  has  become  eternal  upon  earth.  Return 
into  the  heaven  of  Thy  glory,  for  the  Euchar- 
ist will  be  the  Heaven  of  Thy  love. 

O Cenacle!  where  art  thou?  O Holy  Table, 
which  bears  the  Consecrated  Body  of  Jesus! 
O Divine  Fire,  which  Jesus  enkindled  upon 
Mount  Sion,  burn,  shoot  forth  thy  flames,  em- 
brace the  whole  world. 

O holy  Father,  Thou  wilt  always  love  men, 
for  they  forever  possess  Jesus  Christ ! Thou 
wilt  have  no  more  thunderbolts,  no  more  floods 
to  destroy  the  earth,  for  the  Eucharist  is 
our  « bow  in  the  heavens.  » Thou  wilt  love 
men  since  Jesus  Christ,  Thy  Son,  loves  them 
so  much! 

O how  that  good  Saviour  has  loved  us ! 
Is  it  enough  to  claim  our  gratitude?  Ah,  still 
morel  We  should  consecrate  to  Him  in  return 
our  affection  and  our  life. 

Have  we  still  a desire?  Do  we  ask  another 
proof  of  Jesus’  love? 

Alas!  if  the  love  of  Jesus  in  the  Most  Bless- 
ed Sacrament  does  not  win  our  love,  Jesus  is 
vanquished!  Our  ingratitude  is  greater  than 
His  goodness ; our  malice  transcends  His  chari- 
ty! O no,  my  good  Saviour,  Thy  charity  urges 
me,  presses  me,  binds  me! 


THE  INSTITUTION  OF  THE  EUCHARIST.  4 1 


I wish  to  devote  myself  to  the  service  and 
glory  of  Thy  Sacrament.  I wish,  by  the 
strength  of  my  love,  to  make  Thee  forget  that 
up  to  the  present  I have  been  so  ungrateful; 
by  the  fervor  of  my  devotedness,  to  win  from 
Thee  pardon  for  having  loved  Thee  so  late  I 


^ The  LAST  WILL  of  JESUS  CHRIST.  ^ 


Hie  calix  novu7n  tesiainen-  I This  chalice  is  the  new  tes- 
UiDi  est  in  meo  sangtiine.  tament  in  my  Blood. 

I (I  Cor.  XI,  25.) 

He  eve  of  the  death  of  the 
Saviour,  Holy  Thursday,  the 
day  of  the  institution  of  the 
Adorable  Sacrament  of  the 
Eucharist ! 

Behold  the  most  beautiful 
day  in  the  life  of  Our  Lord!  It  is  the  grand- 
est day  of  His  tenderness,  of  His  love. 

Jesus  Christ  is  about  to  take  measures  for 
remaining  with  us.  His  love  on  the  Cross  was 
immense.  On  the  day  of  His  death.  He  did, 
indeed,  testify  to  us  His  love.  But  His  suffer- 
ings were  to  have  an  end.  Good  Friday  was 
to  last  but  one  day. 

Holy  Thursday  will  endure  till  the  end  of 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


43 


the  world,  because  Jesus  has  made  Himself  the 
Sacrament  of  Himself  forever. 

I 

N this  day,  then.  Our  Lord  about  to  die 
and  remembering  that  He  is  a father, 
wishes  to  make  His  last  will. 

What  a solemn  act  in  a family! 

It  is  the  last  act  of  life,  as  it  were,  but  it 
prolongs  that  life  beyond  the  tomb. 

A father  gives  what  he  possesses.  He  cannot 
give  himself,  for  he  does  not  own  himself,  he 
does  not  belong  to  himself.  He  leaves  a legacy 
to  eachiof  his  children,  also  to  his  friends.  He 
gives  to  them  what  is  dearest  to  him.  But  Our 
Lord  gives  Himself! 

Jesus  has  (no  riches,  no  possessions,  not  even 
a home.  He  has  not  whereon  to  rest  His  head. 
They  who  expect  from  Him  temporal  goods 
will  receive  nothing.  His  cross.  His  nails.  His 
crown  of  thorns,  — behold  His  earthly  estate! 

Ah,  if  Our  Lord  gave  earthly  riches,  how 
many  good  Christians  there  would  be!  Who 
would  not  be  His  disciple  ? 

But  no.  He  has  nothing,  not  even  the  glory 
of  giving  here  below.  They  are,  therefore, 
going  to  humble  Him  in  His  Passion. 


44 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


And  yet,  Our  Lord  wishes  to  make  a will. 
And  of  what?  — Of  Himself!  He  is  God 
and  Man.  As  God,  He  is  Master  of  His  Sacred 
Humanity.  He  gives  that  to  us,  and  with  It 
all  that  He  is. 

He  really  gives  It  to  us.  It  is  not  a loan;  It 
is  a gift. 

He  realizes,  He  effectuates  Himself.  He 
becomes,  as  it  were,  a thing,  in  order  that  we 
may  be  able  to  possess  Him  truly. 

He  becomes  bread:  His  Body,  His  Blood, 
His  Soul,  and  His  Divinity  taking  the  place 
of  the  substance  of  the  bread  offered.  Though 
we  see  Him  not,  we  possess  Him. 

Behold  our  inheritance,  Our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ!  He  wishes  to  give  Himself  to  us,  but 
all  do  not  want  Him.  There  are  some  who 
would  be  glad  to  receive  Him,  but  who  reject 
the  conditions  He  has  laid  down  for  that,  name- 
ly, purity  and  a good  life.  Alas!  their  malice 
has  the  power  to  annul  the  legacy  of  their 
God! 

II 

rag^^MlRE  the  inventions  of  Our  Lord’s  love. 
plftl  It  is  His  love  alone  that  has  invented 
this  work  of  love. 


THE  LAST  WILL  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  45 


Who  Other  than  Jesus  could  have  fore- 
seen It,  would  even  have  dared  to  think  of  it? 
— Not  even  an  angel! 

Our  Lord  alone  could  have  thought  of  It. 

Ye  have  need  of  bread?  I shall  be  your 
Bread 

And  He  died  content,  leaving  us  Bread,  and 
such  Bread!  Like  the  father  of  a family  who 
has  labored  all  his  life  for  but  one  end,  to 
leave  bread  to  his  children  when  dying. 

What  more  could  Our  Lord  give  us? 

In  this  testament  of  His  love.  Our  Lord  has 
comprised  everything  — all  His  graces,  and 
even  His  glory  itself. 

We  may  say  to  the  Heavenly  Father:  « Give 
me  the  graces  of  which  I have  need,  and  I shall 
pay  Thee  with  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist,  who 
belongs  to  me.  He  is  mine.  I can  trade  with 
Him,  and  all  Thy  graces,  even  Thy  glory,  O 
holy  Father,  are  less  than  this  divine  Price.  » 

When  we  have  sinned,  we  have  a victim  to 
offer  for  our  transgressions.  We  can  say: 
« Father,  I offer  Jesus  to  Thee!  Thou  wilt 
pardon  me  for  Jesus’  sake,  for  surely  He  has 
suffered  enough.  He  has  made  sufficient  rep- 
aration. » 

Whatever  grace  God  may  grant  us.  He  is 


46 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


always  in  arrears  with  us.  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Treasure,  is  worth  more  than  all  graces  put 
together,  yes,  more  than  heaven  itself  I 

The  Saracens,  when  keeping  St.  Louis  pris- 
oner, held  all  France  for  his  ransom.  Possess- 
ing Jesus  Christ,  we  already  possess  the  king- 
dom of  heaven. 

Let  us,  then,  profit  by  this  thought,  let  us 
make  Jesus  Christ  bear  fruit.  Most  men  bury 
Him  in  their  soul,  or  leave  Him  there  in  His 
winding-sheet,  making  no  use  of  Him  to  gain 
heaven  for  themselves  and  kingdoms  for  God. 
There  are  numbers  of  such  communicants.  Let 
us  make  use  of  Jesus  Christ  to  pray  and  to  re- 
pair. Let  us  pay  with  Jesus,  for  He  is  a super- 
abundant Price. 


HI 

INETEEN  centuries  ago ! And  yet  this 
inheritance  has  come  down  to  me! 

Jesus  Christ  confided  it  to  His  guardians, 
who  have  administered  it,  who  have  preserved 
it,  in  order  to'  deliver  it  to  us  at  the  time  of 
our  majority.  Those  guardians  are  the  Apostles, 
and  among  them  their  imperishable  Chief.  The 
Apostles  confided  it  to  the  priests,  and  the 
latter  have  handed  it  down  to  us.  Opening  fo^ 


THE  LAST  WILL  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  47 


US  the  will,  they  give  us  our  Host,  consecrated 
in  the  thought  of  Our  Lord  at  the  Last  Supper. 
Yes,  for  Jesus  Christ  there  is  neither  past,  pres- 
ent, nor  future.  He,  our  good  Father,  knew  us 
all  at  the  Last  Supper.  He  consecrated  in  pow- 
er and  in  desire  all  our  Hosts,  and  we  were 
personally  loved  nineteen  centuries  before  we 
were  born. 

Yes,  we  were  at  the  Last  Supper,  and  Jesus 
reserved  for  us  not  one  Host,  but  a hundred,  a 
thousand,  still  more,  one  for  every  day  of  our 
life.  Do  we  ever  reflect  on  that?  Jesus  willed 
to  love  us  superabundantly.  Our  Hosts  have 
been  prepared  for  us.  O let  us  not  lose  a single 
one ! 

Our  Lord  comes  only  to  bear  fruit,  and  shall 
we  allow  Him  to  lie  sterile?  No,  never! 
Make  Him  fructify  by  Himself : Negotimnini ! 
Do  not  let  your  Hosts  lie  sterile! 

He  is  so  good,  our  good  Saviour! 

The  Last  Supper  lasted  about  three  hours. 
It  was  the  Passion  of  His  love. 

Ah,  how  dear  that  Bread  cost  Him! 

They  say  bread  costs,  but  what  is  its  price 
compared  with  that  of  the  Heavenly  Bread, 
the  Bread  of  Life? 

Let  us,  then,  eat  It.  It  is  ours.  Our  Lord 


48 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


bought  It  for  US.  He  Himself  paid  for  It.  He 
gives  It  to  us,  and  we  have  but  to  take  It. 
What  an  honor!  What  love! 


K 


The  GIFT  of  the  HEART  of  JESUS. 


Si  scires  Donuin  Dei ! ..  | If  thou  didst  know  the  Gift 

! of  God  ! (John  iv,  lo.) 


fEsus  has  reached  the  term  of 
His  mortal  life.  Heaven  calls 
for  its  King.  He  has  struggled 
sufficiently  long ; it  is  now  time 
for  Him  to  triumph. 

Jesus,  however,  cannot  for- 
sake His  new  family,  the  children  that  He  came 
to  purchase.  « 1 go  away,  and  I come  unto 
you,  » He  says  to  His  Apostles. 

Thou  wilt  return  ? Thou  wilt  remain  even 
in  going,  Lord?  But  by  what  marvel  of  Thy 
power  ? 


That  is  the  secret  and  the  work  of  His  Di- 
vine Heart. 

Jesus  shall  have  two  thrones  — one  of  glory 
in  heaven,  the  other  of  sweetness  and  goodness 


50 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


on  earth.  He  shall  have  two  courts  — the 
heavenly  and  triumphant  court,  and  the  court 
of  His  purchase  here  below. 

And,  let  us  say  it,  if  Jesus  could  not  dwell  at 
one  and  the  same  time  here  below  and  in  heav- 
en, He  would  prefer  remaining  with  us  to  as- 
cending to  heaven  without  us.  Certainly,  He 
has  proved  that  He  prefers  the  least  of  His 
poor  purchased  ones  to  all  His  glory,  and  His 
delights  are  to  be  with  the  children  of  men. 

In  what  kind  of  a state  will  Jesus  remain 
with  us? 

In  a transient  state?  from  time  to  time?  No; 
in  a permanent  state.  He  will  remain  with  us 
forever. 

But  let  us  look  at  the  admirable  struggle  that 
took  place  in  the  soul  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Divine  Justice  calls  Him.  Is  not  Redemption 
finished?  the  Church  founded?  man  put  in  pos- 
session of  grace  and  of  the  Gospel,  of  the 
divine  law  and  help  to  practise  it? 

The  Heart  of  Jesus  replies  that  what  suffices 
for  Redemption  does  not  satisfy  Its  love,  that  a 
mother  is  not  satisfied  with  bringing  her  child 
into  the  world.  She  feeds  it,  rears  it,  follows  it 
everywhere. 

« I love  men  more  than  the  best  of  mothers 


THE  GIFT  OF  THE  HEART  OF  JESUS.  5 1 


ever  loved  her  child!  I will  abide  with  them...  » 

Under  what  form? 

« Under  the  veiled  form  of  the  Sacrament.  » 

The  Divine  Majesty  is  willing  to  expose 
Himself  to  humiliation  more  profound  than 
that  of  the  Incarnation,  more  annihilating  than 
the  Passion  itself.  Man’s  salvation  does  not  call 
for  such  abasement! 

« But,  » responds  the  Sacred  Heart,  « I 
wish  to  veil  Myself,  My  glory,  in  order  that  the 
splendor  of  My  Person,  as  formerly  the  glory 
of  Moses,  may  not  prevent  My  poor  brethren 
from  approaching  Me.  I wish  to  veil  My  vir- 
tues, which  would  humble  man  and  make  him 
despair  of  ever  copying  so  perfect  a model. 

« In  this  way  he  will  come  more  readily  to 
Me  and,  beholding  Me  descending  even  to  the 
confines  of  nothingness,  he  will  descend  with 
Me.  I shall  have  the  right  to  say  to  him  with 
greater  force:  Learn  of  Me  that  I am  meek 
and  humble  of  heart.  » 

By  what  means  will  Jesus  perpetuate  Him- 
self? 

The  Holy  Spirit  was  the  noble  operator  of 
the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation.  At  the  Last 
Supper,  Jesus  Himself  wrought  the  marvel. 
Today  who  will  be  worthy  of  such  a mystery? 


52 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


A man!  the  priest!... 

But  the  Divine  Wisdom  ? — What ! A mortal 
incarnate  his  Saviour  and  his  God?  He,  the  co- 
operator  with  the  Holy  Spirit  in  this  new  in- 
carnation of  the  Divine  Word?  A man  com- 
mand the  immortal  King  of  ages,  and  be 
obeyed  ? 

« Yes,  » says  the  Heart  of  Jesus.  « Yes,  I 
will  love  man  so  far  as  to  be  subject  to  him  in 
everything!  I will  descend  from  the  heavens  at 
the  voice  of  the  priest.  I will  quit  My  taber- 
nacle at  the  desire  of  the  Faithful.  I will  go 
through  the  cities  to  visit  My  children  on  their 
couch  of  suffering...  The  glory  of  love  is  to 
love,  to  give  oneself,  to  sacrifice  oneself!...  » 

And  the  Divine  Sanctity?  But,  at  least.  Thou 
wilt  abide  in  a temple  worthy  of  Thy  glory? 
Thou  wilt  have  priests  worthy  of  Thy  royalty? 
In  the  New  Law,  everything  ought  to  be  more 
beautiful  than  in  the  Old.  Only  Christians  pure 
and  well  prepared  will  receive  Thee? 

« My  love,  » says  Jesus,  « is  without  reserve, 
without  condition.  I obeyed  My  executioners 
on  Calvary.  If  new  Judases  come  to  Me,  I 
shall  again  receive  their  infernal  kiss,  I shall 
obey  them!  » 

But  at  this  moment  what  a picture  is  un- 


THE  GIFT  OF  THE  HEART  OF  JESUS.  53 


rolled  under  the  eyes  of  Jesus!  His  Heart 
is  forced  to  struggle  against  Its  own  incli- 
nations I 

The  agony  of  the  Garden  of  Olives  already 
oppresses  It.  At  Gethsemani,  Jesus  will  be  sad 
unto  death  on  beholding  the  ignominy  that 
will  attend  His  Passion.  He  will  shed  tears  of 
blood  at  the  thought  that  His  people  will  be 
lost  in  spite  of  His  sacrifice.  He  will  feel  cruelly 
the  apostasy  of  a great  number  of  His  own. 

O what  a struggle'  in  the  Heart  of  Jesus! 
what  agony! 

He  longs  to  give  Himself  entire,  without 
reserve.  But  who  will  believe  in  so  much  love? 

Will  all  who  believe  in  it  receive  Him  with 
gratitude  ? 

Will  all  who  have  received  Him  prove  faith- 
ful? 

Truly,  the  Heart  of  Jesus  is  not  wavering  or 
hesitating.  It  is  only  tortured! 

He  beholds  the  Passion  renewed  every  day 
in  His  Sacrament  of  Love,  renewed  by  Chris- 
tian hearts,  by  hearts  consecrated  to  Him! 

He  is  betrayed  by  apostasy,  sold  by  interest, 
crucified  by  vice.  The  hearts  of  those  that  re- 
ceive Him  too  often  become  His  Calvary! 


54 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


What  suffering  for  this  Divine  Heart  I What 
will  It  do? 

It  will  give  Itself...  It  will  give  Itself  even  if 
so  outraged  1 


j/>=i^  ^cA^  lAi. 


TESTIMONY  of  the  CHURCH  to  the 


REAL  PRESENCE  of  our  LORD 


JESUS  CHRIST 


in  the  HOLY  EUCHARIST. 


Ecce  Agnus  Dei!  I Behold  the  Lamb  of  God! 

I (John  I,  36.) 

He  mission  of  John  the  Baptist 
on  earth  was  to  announce,  to 
point  out  the  promised  Sav- 
iour, and  to  prepare  for  Him 
the  ways. 

The  Church  fulfils  the  same 
mission  in  regard  to  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist, 
but  a mission  more  extended,  more  continued, 
which  embraces  all  countries  and  all  ages.  She 
acquits  herself  of  it,  by  exposing  Jesus  to  the 
world  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  in  preaching 
Him  by  word,  and  testifying  to  Him  by  her 


q'he  Divine  Kucharist. 


5 


56 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


faith  and  her  works,  a silent  preaching  as  elo- 
quent as  the  first. 

I 

Church  presents  herself  to  us,  the 
word  of  Jesus  Christ  upon  her  lips,  re- 
peating and  explaining  it  with  authority  equal 
to  that  of  the  Saviour : This  is  My  Body.  This 
is  My  Blood. 

She  tells  us,  and  we  must  believe,  that,  by 
the  divine  power  of  those  sacramental  words 
taken  in  their  strict  and  natural  sense,  Jesus 
Christ  is  truly,  really,  and  substantially  present 
in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Altar 
under  the  appearance  of  bread  and  wine. 

She  tells  us,  and  we  must  believe,  that  Jesus 
Christ,  by  His  almighty  power,  has  changed 
the  substance  of  the  bread  into  His  Body,  the 
substance  of^the  wine  into  His  Blood,  and  that 
His  Soul  and  His  Divinity,  also,  are  present 
with  His  Body  and  Blood. 

She  tells  us,  and  we  must  believe,  that  the 
divine  work  of  Transubstantiation  is  constantly 
operated  in  the  Church  by  the  priesthood  of 
Jesus  Christ,  whom  He  invested  with  His  own 
power  when  He  established  it  by  these  words: 
Do  this  in  commemoration  of  Me. 


TESTIMONY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 


5 7 


Since  the  first  Eucharistic  Supper,  the 
Church  has  proclaimed  this  faith  down  through 
the  ages. 

Her  Apostles  have  had  but  one  same  voice, 
her  teachers  but  one  same  doctrine,  her  chil- 
dren but  one  same  faith,  one  same  love  toward 
the  God  of  the  Eucharist. 

How  majestic,  that  voice  of  the  entire  Chris- 
tian world!  How  touching  and  beautiful,  the 
harmony  of  its  praises  and  its  love! 

Every  one  of  the  children  of  the  Church 
wishes  to  bring  to  the  feet  of  the  Divine  King 
truly  present  a tribute  of  homage,  a gift  of 
love.  Some  bring  gold;  some,  myrrh;  all,  in- 
cense. Each  one  wishes  to  have  a place  at 
the  court  and  at  the  table  of  the  God  of  the 
Eucharist. 

The  enemies  of  the  Church  themselves,  schis- 
matics and  almost  all  heretics,  believe  in  the 
presence  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Eucharist. 

Ah,  one  would  have  to  be  blind,  indeed,  to 
deny  the  existence  of  the  sun,  — ungrateful, 
indeed,  to  disown  and  despise  the  love  of  Jesus 
Christ  living  in  the  midst  of  men ! 

As  for  us,  we  believe  in  the  love  of  Jesus,  and 
we  know  that  nothing  is  impossible  to  the  love 
of  a God. 


58 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


II 

the  testimony  of  her  word,  the  Church 
adds  that  of  her  example  and  faithful 
practice.  As  John  the  Baptist,  after  having 
pointed  out  the  Messiah,  cast  himself  at  His 
feet  in  order  to  attest  his  lively  faith,  so  the 
Church  consecrates  a solemn  worship,  her 
entire  worship,  to  the  adorable  Presence  of 
Jesus  whom  she  shows  us  in  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament. 

She  adores  Jesus  Christ  as  God  present  and 
hidden  in  the  Sacred  Host.  She  renders  to  Him 
the  honor  due  to  God  alone,  prostrating  before 
the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  as  does  the  celes- 
tial court  before  the  majesty  of  God. 

Here  there  is  no  distinction.  Great  and  small, 
monarchs  and  subjects,  priests  and  laity,  all 
fall  instinctively  on  their  knees  before  the  God 
of  the  Eucharist. 

It  is  the  good  God! 

The  Church  is  not  satisfied  with  attesting  her 
faith  by  adoration.  She  joins  thereto  public  and 
brilliant  honors. 

Her  splendid  basilicas  are  the  expression  of 
her  faith  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament.  She 
does  not  wish  to  build  tombs,  but  temples,  a 


TESTIMONY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 


59 


heaven  on  earth,  in  which  her  Saviour  will 
find  a throne  worthy  of  Him. 

With  jealous  and  delicate  care,  the  Church 
has  laid  down  laws  for  even  the  least  details 
connected  with  the  worship  of  the  Holy  Eu- 
charist. She  intrusts  to  none  the  care  of  honor- 
ing her  Divine  Spouse,  because  everything  Is 
great,  everything  is  important,  everything  is 
divine,  when  there  is  question  of  Jesus  Christ 
present. 

She  wishes  that  all  that  nature  has  the 
purest,  all  that  there  is  most  precious  in  the 
world,  should  be  consecrated  to  the  royal 
service  of  Jesus. 

In  her  worship,  everything  has  relation  to 
this  Mystery,  everything  has  a spiritual  and 
heavenly  sense,  everything  possesses  some  vir- 
tue, contains  some  grace. 

How  powerfully  the  solitude,  the  silence  of 
her  temples,  contribute  to  the  recollection  of 
the  soul ! How  fervently  we  exclaim  at  the  sight 
of  a congregation  of  devout  adorers  before  the 
tabernacle:  « There  is  more  than  Solomon 
here,  more  than  an  angel!  » — Jesus  Christ  is 
here  before  whom  every  knee  bends  in  heaven, 
on  earth,  and  in  hell. 

Before  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sac- 


6o 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


•f 


rament,  all  grandeur  is  eclipsed,  all  holiness 
is  humbled  and  annihilated. 

Jesus  Christ  is  there  1 


Videte  quia  ego  ipse  sum.  I See,  it  is  I myself. 

I (Luke  xxiv,  39.) 

He  Church  has  said:  Jesus 
Christ  is  truly  present  in  the 
Sacred  Host. 

Jesus  Himself  manifests  His 
presence  in  two  ways,  interior- 
ly and  exteriorly. 


I 


ISHHe  interior  manifestation  takes  place  in 
the  soul  of  the  communicant.  Jesus 
works  in  the  soul  that  receives  Him  a triple 
miracle. 

First,  the  miracle  of  reformation. 


62 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Jesus  gives  to  the  communicant  assured  em- 
pire over  his  passions.  He  is,  in  truth,  the  same 
Jesus  who  said:  Have  confidence^  I have  over- 
come the  world;  who  said  to  the  tempest:  Be 
still;  and  who  still  says  to  the  proud,  to  the 
avaricious,  to  the  man  tormented  by  revolts  of 
passion,  to  the  slave  of  his  evil  inclinations: 
Loose  him  and  let  him  go  I 

And  the  communicant  feels  himself  strong- 
er. On  leaving  the  Holy  Table,  we  can  say 
with  St.  Paul:  We  overcome  because  of  Him  that 
hath  loved  us. 

It  is  a sudden  change,  a fire  instantaneously 
kindled. 

But  if  Jesus  Christ  were  not  in  the  Sacred 
Host,  such  prodigies  would  not  be  wrought. 
Nature  is  more  difficult  to  reform 'than  to  form. 

It  costs  a man  more  to  correct  himself,  to 
vanquish  himself,  than  to  achieve  any  exterior 
feat,  however  heroic.  Habit  is  second  nature. 

The  Eucharist  alone,  at  least  according  to 
the  ordinary  course  of  things  and  the  facts  of 
experience,  confers  the  power  to  reform  the 
bad  habits  that  domineer  over  us. 

Secondly,  the  miracle  of  transformation. 

There  is  but  one  means  of  changing  a nat- 
ural life  into  a supernatural  one.  That  is  the 


TESTIMONY  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  63 


triumph  of  the  Eucharist,  in  which  Jesus  Christ 
Himself  superintends  the  education  of  man. 

The  Eucharist  develops  faith  in  us.  It  ele- 
vates, ennobles,  purifies  love  in  us.  It  teaches 
us  how  to  love.  Love  is  the  gift  of  self.  Now, 
in  the  Eucharist,  Jesus  gives  Himself  wholly, 
joining  example  to  counsel. 

The  Eucharist  transforms  even  our  exterior, 
by  communicating  to  the  body  a certain  grace, 
a beauty,  the  reflection  of  the  interior  beauty. 
There  is  on  the  countenance  of  the  communi- 
cant a ray  of  the  Divinity,  in  his  words  a 
charm,  in  all  his  actions  a gentleness  that  tell 
of  the  presence  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  the  per- 
fume of  Jesus. 

Thirdly,  the  miracle  of  power,  which  makes 
one  forget  himself,  immolate  himself. 

It  is  man  facing  misfortune,  and  drawing 
from  the  Eucharist  strength  superior  to  mis- 
fortune. It  is  the  Christian  finding  in  the  midst 
of  adversity,  calumny,  and  agony,  calm  and 
peace  in  the  Eucharist.  It  is  the  faithful  sol- 
dier of  Jesus,  surmounting  temptation,  rising 
above  the  assaults  of  men  and  hell  by  means 
of  Holy  Communion. 

In  vain  shall  we  seek  outside  of  the  Eucha- 
rist for  this  superhuman  strength. 


64 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


But  if  the  Eucharist  gives  it,  it  is  because 
Jesus,  the  Saviour,  the  strong  God,  is  truly 
therein. 

Such  is  the  exterior  manifestation  that  Jesus 
Christ  makes  of  His  presence  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament. 


II 

Public  Manifestation. 

E have  seen  sinners,  profaners  of  the  au- 
gust Sacrament,  publicly  punished  for 
their  audacity.  Jesus  manifested  His  justice. 

Hardly  had  Judas  sacrilegiously  received  the 
Body  of  his  God,  when  Satan  entered  into 
him.  Before  his  sacrilegious  Communion,  the 
demon  only  temped  him;  after  it,  he  took  pos- 
session of  him:  Et  introivit  in  eum  Satanas. 

St.  Paul  found,  in  the  tepid  or  sacrilegious 
Communions  of  the  Corinthians,  the  reason  for 
their  indifference,  their  lethargic  slumber  in 
regard  to  good:  Ideo  multi  imhecilles  inter  vos 
et  dormiunt  multi. 

History  records  many  terrible  examples  of 
unworthy  communicants,  suddenly  struck  by 
the  justice  of  Our  Lord  whom  they  outraged 
in  the  Eucharist. 


TiSSTIMONY  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  65 


In  the  Holy  Eucharist,  Jesus  still  manifests 
His  power  over  demons. 

When  in  exorcisms,  in  order  to  conquer  the 
demons  that  have  resisted  all  other  means,  the 
Sacred  Host  has  been  presented  to  them,  they 
have  uttered  cries  of  rage,  and  succumbed  to 
their  God  present. 

At  Milan,  St.  Bernard  laid,  after  the  Pater 
of  the  Mass,  the  chalice  and  the  patena  upon 
the  head  of  one  possessed.  The  demon  went 
out  of  him  furious,  uttering  these  awful  words: 
Jesus  Christ,  the  good  God,  is  there! 

The  sick  are  cured  by  the  Eucharist.  Many 
facts  of  this  kind  are  never  made  known;  but 
Jesus,  as  history  attests,  still  continues  in  the 
Eucharist  to  cure  all  diseases. 

St.  Gregory  of  Nazianzen  relates  the  follow- 
ing touching  fact:  His  sister,  sick  for  a long 
time,  arose  one  night,  and  went  before  the  ta- 
bernacle. In  the  fervor  of  her  faith,  she  thus 
addressed  Our  Lord:  « I shall  not  leave  this 
spot,  O Lord,  until  Thou  hast  cured  me  I » — 
She  arose  cured! 

Lastly,  the  apparitions  of  our  Lord  under 
diverse  forms  in  the  Eucharist,  testify  to  His 
Sacramental  Presence.  From  time  to  time, 
He  is  pleased  to  renew  the  miracle  of  Thabor. 


66 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


? 


Such  manifestations  are  not  necessary,  since 
we  have  the  word  of  Truth  itself.  They  merely 
bear  witness  to  the  fact,  that  the  word  of  Jesus  > 
Christ  has,  indeed,  fulfilled  what  it  promised. 

Yes,  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  we  believe  that  Thou 
art  present  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament,  ! 
truly  and  substantially  present.  Increase,  in-  j 
crease  our  faith  1 


Qui  credit  in  me  habet  vi-  I He  that  believeth  in  Me, 
tarn  cetemiani.  hath  everlasting  life. 

I (John  VI,  47.) 


Ow  happy,  how  blessed  shall 
we  be  if  we  have  lively  faith 
in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment, for  the  Eucharist  is 
the  royal  truth  of  Faith  I It  is 
the  virtue,  the  sovereign  act  of 
love ; it  is  all  religion  in  practice.  8%  scires 
donum  Dei  I — Oh,  if  we  did  but  know  the  gift 
of  God! 

But  faith  in  (the  Eucharist  is  a treasure  which 
must  be  sought  by  submission,  guarded  by 
piety,  and  defended  by  every  sacrifice.  To  be 
wanting  in  faith  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  is 
the  greatest  misfortune. 


I 


j^g|  S it  possible  to  lose  all  faith  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  after  one  has  once  believed 
^nd  received  Holy  Communion? 


68 


the  divine  EUCHARIST. 


No,  I think  not!  A child  may  despise  its 
father,  and  insult  its  mother;  but  not  to  re- 
cognize them  would  be  impossible  I In  the  same 
way,  a Christian  may  deny  that  he  has  ever 
communicated,  but  he  cannot  forget  that  he 
once  had  that  happiness! 

Incredulity  toward  the  Holy  Eucharist  never 
springs  from  the  evidence  of  reasons  contrary 
to  this  Mystery. 

Here  is  a man  who  is  perfectly  indifferent, 
buried  in  his  temporal  affairs.  He  seems  to 
have  forgotten  all  else.  But  let  grace  touch  him, 
the  simple  grace  of  return,  and  his  first  impulse 
will  instinctively  carry  him  to  the  Holy  Eu- 
charist. i 

Incredulity  may  come  from  the  passions  that 
dominate  the  heart.  Any  passion  that  seeks  to 
remain  supreme  is  cruel.  When  gratified,  it 
despises;  when  attacked,  it  denies.  Inquire: 
How  long  is  it  since  you  ceased  to  believe 
in  the  Eucharist  ? And  going  back  to  the 
source  of  incredulity,  we  find  some  weakness, 
some  allurement,  which  the  poor  victim  had 
not  the  courage  to  resist. 

Again,  incredulity  may  arise  from  faith  long 
weak  or  doubting.  Some  are  scandalized  at 
seeing  so  many  indifferent  Christians,  so  many 


FAITH  IN  THE  EUCHARIST. 


69 


practical  unbelievers.  They  are  scandalized  at 
hearing  the  crafty  arguments,  the  sophisms  of 
false  science.  Why  does  not  Our  Lord  pun- 
ish that?  Why  does  He  allow  Himself  to 
be  insulted  if  He  is  there?  Many  unbeliev- 
ers are,  nevertheless,  honest! 

Behold  the  doubting  faith  which  leads  to 
disbelief  in  the  Eucharist.  O infinite  misfor- 
tune! Like  the  people  of  Capharnaum,  they 
remove  from  Him  who  has  the  words  of  truth 
and  life! 


O what  consequences  does  he  expose  him- 
self who  believes  not  in  the  Eucharist? 
denies  the  power  of  God.  What!  God 
under  this  abject  appearance?  It  is  impos- 
sible! Who  can  believe  it? 

He  accuses  Jesus  Christ  of  falsehood,  for 
the  Saviour  has  said:  This  is  my  Body,  this  is 
My  Blood! 

Like  the  disciples  who,  hearing  the  Eucha- 
ristic promise,  went  away  and  walked  no  longer 
with  their  Divine  Master,  he  despises  His  good- 
ness. 

Again,  his  faith  in  the  other  mysteries  will 
soon  be  shaken  and  finally  lost.  If  he  does  not 


70 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


believe  this  ever-living  Mystery,  which  is 
vouched  for  by  an  ever-present  fact,  what 
mystery  will  he  believe? 

His  virtue  will  soon  grow  sterile.  It  loses  its 
natural  nourishment,  it  breaks  friendship  with 
Jesus  Christ,  from  whom  it  draws  all  its  vigor; 
it  no  longer  looks  upon,  it  forgets  its  ever- 
present Model. 

Piety  is  soon  dried  up.  It  no  longer  has  the 
centre  of  life  and  affection. 

Then  no  more  consolation  in  the  reverses 
of  life.  When  its  sorrows  become  too  heavy, 
then  comes  despair  I A grief  that  cannot  be 
poured  into  the  heart  of  a friend  stifles  us. 

Ill 

Et  us,  then,  believe  in  the  Eucharist  I 
« I believe.  Lord,  » we  must  often  say, 
« help  Thou  my  weak  faith!  » Nothing  is  more 
glorious  for  Our  Lord  than  this  act  of  faith  in 
His  Eucharistic  Presence. 

It  supremely  honors  His  divine  veracity.  The 
greatest  honor  paid  to  anyone  is  to  believe 
his  word;  while,  on  the  contrary,  the  greatest 
injury  that  one  can  offer  another  is  to  suspect 
him  of  falsehood,  to  doubt  his  word,  to  de- 


FAITH  IN  THE  EUCHARIST. 


71 


mand  proofs  of  him,  to  ask  for  guarantees.  If 
a child  believes  a father  on  his  word,  a ser- 
vant his  master,  a subject  his  king,  why  not 
believe  the  word  of  Jesus  Christ  solemnly  as- 
suring us  that  He  is  present  in  the  Most  Bless- 
ed Sacrament? 

This  act  of  simple  and  absolute  faith  still 
gives  glory  to  Jesus  Christ,  because  it  recogniz- 
es and  adores  Him  in  His  veiled  state.  The 
honor  that  we  render  to  a friend  in  disguise, 
to  a king  simply  clothed,  is  greater  than  any 
other.  It  is  the  person  that  we  truly  honor 
then,  and  not  the  garb,  the  robes  of  state. 

Thus  it  is  with  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Altar.  To  honor  Him 
therein,  to  believe  Him  God  in  spite  of  the  ap- 
pearance of  weakness  that  conceals  Him,  is  to 
honor  His  Divine  Person,  to  respect  the  Mys- 
tery in  which  He  envelops  Himself. 

This  method  of  acting  is  more  meritorious 
for  us.  Like  Peter  confessing  the  Divinity  of  the 
Son  of  Man,  like  the  Good  Thief  proclaiming 
the  innocence  of  the  Crucified,  it  is  to  affirm 
of  Jesus  Christ  what  He  is,  despite  what 
He  appears  to  be.  Still  moa?e,  it  is  to  believe 
the  contrary  of  what  our  senses  tell  us,  support- 


The  Divine  Eucharist. 


6 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


ing  our  faith  upon  the  certitude  of  His  infal- 
lible word  alone. 

Let  us  believe,  let  us  believe  in  the  Real 
Presence  of  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist ! Jesus  Christ 
is  there!  — May  respect  fill  our  soul  on  our 
entrance  into  the  church,  the  respect  of  faith 
and  of  love  on  meeting  Jesus  Christ  in  Person, 
fofr  it  is  (He,  indeed,  whom  we  meet  1 

Let  this  be  our  apostolate,  our  preaching!  It 
is  the  most  eloquent  for  the  incredulous  and 
the  impious. 


^ The  WONDKRFUL  WORK  of  GOD.  ^ 


MepHoriam  fecit  mirabi-  j He  hath  made  a remem- 
lium  suorum.  brance  of  His  wonderful 

1 works.  (Ps.  cx,  4.) 

Eucharist  is  the  work  of 
snse  love,  that  love  has 
at  its  service  infinite  pow- 
the  almighty  power  of 

:.  Thomas  calls  the  Eucha- 
rist the  miracle  of  miracles,  maximum  miraculo- 
rum. 

To  be  convinced  of  this,  it  is  necessary  only 
to  reflect  on  what  the  faith  of  the  Church 
teaches  concerning  this  mystery. 

I 

He  first  of  the  wonders  operated  in  the 
Eucharist  is  transubstantiation.  Jesus 
first,  and  then  His  priests,  by  His  order  and 


74 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


His  institution,  take  the  bread  and  the  wine, 
pronounce  over  that  material  substance  the 
words  of  consecration,  and  immediately  all 
the  substance  of  the  bread,  all  the  substance 
of  the  wine  disappears.  It  has  been  changed 
into  the  sacred  Body  and  the  adorable  Blood 
of  Jesus  Christ! 

Under  the  species  of  bread,  as  well  as  under 
that  of  the  wine,  is  found  truly,  really,  and 
substantially  the  glorified  Body  of  the  Saviour. 

Of  the  bread,  of  the  wine,  there  remain  but 
the  appearance,  the  color,  the  taste,  the  weight. 
As  far  as  the  senses  are  concerned,  it  is  still 
bread,  still  wine.  But  faith  tells  us  that  it  is  the 
Body  and  the  Blood  of  Jesus,  veiled  under  the 
accidents,  which  subsist  only  by  a miracle. 
It  is  a miracle  that  can  be  wrought  only  by  the 
Almighty,  for  it  is  contrary  to  ordinary  laws 
that  the  qualities  of  bodies  should  exist  without 
the  body  that  sustains  them.  Therein  is  the 
work  of  God.  His  will  is  their  reason  of  exist- 
ence. God  can  do  all  that  He  wills.  He  re- 
quires no  more  effort  than  to  will. 

Behold  the  first  wonder  of  the  Eucharist. 


THE  WONDERFUL  WORK  OF  GOD.  75 


II 


simple  word  of  a man,  a priest,  and  as 
often  as  he  wishes.  Such  is  the  power  that 
God  has  communicated  to  him.  He  wills  that 
God  should  be  upon  this  altar,  and  God  is 
there!  The  priest  performs  absolutely  the  same 
miracle  that  Jesus  Christ  operated  at  the  Eu- 
charistic Supper,  and  it  is  from  Jesus  Christ 
that  he  has  his  power,  and  in  His  name  that  he 
acts. 

Our  Lord  has  never  resisted  the  word  of  His 
priest. 

O miracle  of  the  power  of  God!  A creature 
weak,  mortal,  incarnates  Jesus  Sacramental! 

HI 

N the  desert  Jesus  took  five  loaves.  He 
blessed  them,  and  the  Apostles  found 
wherewith  to  feed  five  thousand  men.  This  is 
a feeble  figure  of  that  other  miracle  of  the 
Eucharist,  the  miracle  of  multiplication. 

Jesus  loves  all  men.  He  wishes  to  give  Him- 
self entirely  and  personnally  to  every  one. 
iRvery  one  shall  have  his  share  in  the  Mann^ 


Nother  wonder  contained  in  the  first, 
is  that  this  miracle  is  renewed  at  the 


76 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


of  Life.  He  must  needs,  then,  multiply  Himself 
as  many  times  as  there  are  communicants  to 
receive  Him,  and  as  often  as  they  desire  to 
receive  Him.  The  Eucharistic  Table  should  in 
some  manner  cover  the  whole  world.  And  that, 
indeed,  takes  place  by  His  power.  All  receive 
Him  entire  with  all  that  He  is.  Every  conse- 
crated Host  contains  Him.  Divide  the  Sacred 
Host  into  as  many  parts  as  you  will,  Jesus  is 
whole  and  entire  under  each  of  those  parts. 
Instead  of  dividing  Him,  the  breaking  of  the 
Host  multiplies  Him. 

Who  could  say  the  number  of  Hosts  which 
Jesus,  since  the  Last  Supper,  has  placed  at  the 
disposition  of  His  children! 

IV 

i|r|gslUT  not  only  does  Jesus  multiply  Him- 
self  in  the  Sacred  Particles,  but,  by 
another  miracle  of  a similar  nature.  He  is  at 
the  same  time  in  innumerable  places. 

During  His  mortal  life,  Jesus  was  in  one 
place  only.  He  dwelt  in  one  house  only,  a few 
privileged  souls  alone  could  enjoy  His  pres- 
ence and  His  word.  But  today  the  Most  Bless- 
ed Sacrament  is  everywhere  at  one  and  the 


THE  WONDERFUL  WORK  OF  GOD.  77 


same  time.  His  Sacred  Humanity  participates, 
in  some  measure,  in  the  Divine  Immensity 
which  fills  the  whole  universe.  Jesus  is  whole 
and  entire  in  an  innumerable  number  of  tem- 
ples, and  in  every  one  individually.  This  is  be- 
cause all  Christians  over  the  face  of  the  earth, 
being  members  of  the  mystical  Body  of  Jesus 
Christ,  it  is  necessary  that  He  who  is  its  Soul 
should  be  everywhere,  should  animate  the  whole 
body,  giving  it  life,  and  sustaining  it  in  every 
one  of  its  members. 

Lord  Jesus,  we  adore  Thy  power,  which 
has  multiplied  miracles  in  order  to  be  able  to 
remain  among  us.  Thy  children,  to  be  within 
our  reach,  and  to  be  all  in  all  to  us  I 


THE  SACRIFICES  OF  JESUS  IN 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST. 


Dilexit  /;Z(?,  et  tradidit  se-  1 He  loved  me,  and  delivered 
• rnetipsjmi  pro  me.  \ Himself  for  me.  (Gal.  ii,  20.) 

Y what  characteristics  do  we 
recognize  love?  By  a single 
one,  by  its  sacrifices,  those 
that  it  inspires  or  those  that  it 
joyfully  accepts. 

Love  without  sacrifice  is 
only  a vain  name,  self-love  in  disguise. 

If,  then,  we  would  know  the  greatness  of 
the  love  of  Jesus  in  the  Holy  Eucharist  for 
man,  if  we  would  estimate  the  value  of  His 
love,  let  us  see  what  sacrifices  His  sacramental 
state  demands. 

They  are  the  same  as  during  the  Passion 
of  the  Man-God.  In  the  Eucharist  as  in  the 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


79 


Passion,  Christ  immolates  His  civil  life,  His 
natural  life,  and  His  divine  life. 

I 

N His  Passion,  to  which  His  intense 
love  for  us  urged  Him,  Jesus  Christ  was 
outlawed.  His  people  denied  Him,  calumniat- 
ed Him,  allowed  Him  no  defence.  He  was  deliv- 
ered unprotected  to  the  mercy  of  His  enemies ; 
He  laid  claim  to  the  rights  of  not  even  the  com- 
monest criminal.  For  the  love  and  salvation  of 
His  people,  He  sacrificed  His  claims  as  a 
citizen  and  an  honest  man. 

In  the  Eucharist,  Jesus  Christ  again  accepts 
this  immolation  of  His  civil  life. 

He  is  present  there  without  any  rights;  the 
law  does  not  recognize  Him.  He,  the  God- 
made-Man,  the  Saviour  of  the  human  race,  has 
scarcely  a word  in  the  code  of  the  nations  that 
He  has  redeemed.  Living  in  the  midst  of  us, 
we  ignore  Him:  « Medius  vestrum  stetit  quern 
VOS  nescitis  — There  hath  stood  one  in  the 
midst  of  you,  whom  you  know  not.  » 

Society  does  not  honor  Him.  In  many  coun- 
tries, the  feast  of  Corpus  Christi  is  suppressed. 
Jesus  Christ  can  not  go  abroad,  can  not  show 


8o 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Himself  in  public!  He  must  lie  hidden.  Men 
are  ashamead  of  Jesus  Christ!  « l^on  novi 
hominem  — I know  not  the  man!  » 

But  who  are  they  who  blush  at  the  mention 
of  Jesus  Christ?  — Jews?  Mahometans?  — No! 
They  are  Christians! 

The  Eucharist  is  defenceless,  unprotected. 
Provided  that  unbelievers  do  not  openly  dis- 
turb religious  services,  they  may  insult,  they 
may  commit  sacrilege.  Such  things  pass  unno- 
ticed. ! 

On  the  part  of  men,  then,  Jesus  Christ  is 
unprotected. 

But,  perhaps.  Heaven  will  take  up  His  de- 
fence? — No!  — As  in  the  house  of  Caiaphas, 
as  in  that  of  Pilate,  Jesus  is  given  over  by  His 
Father  to  the  will  of  sinners:  « Tradidit  emn 
voluntati  eorwn  — But  Jesus  he  delivered  up 
to  their  will.  » 

What!  Jesus  foresaw  that  when  He  instituted 
the  Eucharist,  and  yet  He  freely  chose  that 
state?  — Yes!  — To  be  our  model,  our  consola- 
tion in  our  trials,  in  the  persecutions  of  the 
world. 

Till  the  end  of  the  world  He  will  so  remain 
to  be  the  example,  the  grace  of  every  one  of 
His  children.  He  loves  us. 


THE  SACRIFICES  OF  JESUS. 


8l 


II 

ESUS  Christ  in  His  Passion  adds  to  this 
sacrifice  of  His  rights  the  immolation  of 
all  that  constitutes  man.  He  immolates  His 
will,  the  beatitude  of  His  soul,  which  He  allows 
to  be  invaded  by  mortal  sadness ; He  immolates 
His  life  upon  the  Cross. 

That  immolation  made  once,  was  too  little 
for  His  love.  He  continues  that  natural  death  in 
the  Eucharist. 

To  immolate  His  will,  He,  the  Almighty 
God,  obeys  His  creature;  He,  the  King,  His 
subjects;  He,  the  Liberator,  His  slave!  He 
obeys  priests  and  laymen,  the  just  and  sinners. 
He  obeys  without  resistance.  He  does  not  have 
to  be  forced.  He  is  obedient  even  to  His  ene- 
mies. With  the  same  eagerness,  He  fulfils  the 
desires  of  all.  Not  only  at  the  Holy  Mass,  when 
the  priest  pronounces  the  words  of  Consecra- 
tion, is  He  obedient,  but  at  every  moment  of 
the  day  and  night,  according  to  the  needs  of 
the  Faithful.  His  constant  attitude  is  that  of 
pure  and  simple  obedience.  Can  this  be  pos- 
sible ? 

O if  man  comprehended  the  love  of  the  Eu- 
charist I 


82 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Jesus  was  bound  during  His  Passion.  He 
lost  His  liberty.  Here  in  the  Eucharist,  He 
binds  Himself.  He  is  bound  by  the  perpetual 
and  absolute  bonds  of  His  own  promises. 

He  is  chained  under  the  Sacred  Species  to 
which  He  is  inseparably  united  by  the  sacra- 
mental words.  In  the  Eucharist,  He  is  without 
self-movement,  without  action,  as  on  the  Cross, 
as  in  the  tomb,  although  He  possesses  in  Him- 
self the  plenitude  of  resuscitated  life. 

As  the  Prisoner  of  Love,  He  is  absolutely 
dependent  on  man.  It  is  impossible  for  Him  to 
break  His  chains,  to  quit  His  Eucharistic  pris- 
on. He  is  our  Prisoner  even  till  the  end  of 
time!  He  has  engaged  Himself  to  that!  The 
contract  of  love  reaches  thus  far! 

As  to  the  beatitude  of  His  soul,  Jesus  can 
no  longer,  as  at  Gethsemani,  suspend  its  rap- 
tures and  its  joys,  for  He  is  glorious  and 
resuscitated.  But  He  loses  it  in  man,  in  the 
Christian,  in  His  unworthy  member.  O how 
often  does  Jesus  behold  ingratitude,  outrage 
come  to  attack  Him!  How  often  do  Christians 
imitate  the  Jews!  Jesus  wept  once  over  guilty 
Jerusalem.  But  He  loves  us  much  more.  Our 
sins,  our  loss  afflict  Him  much  more  than  does 
the  loss  of  the  Jews.  How  many  tears  would 


THE  SACRIFICES  OF  JESUS. 


83 


Jesus  shed  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  could  He 
weep  1 

Lastly,  in  the  Host,  Jesus,  unable  to  die 
again  in  reality,  embraces  at  least  the  state 
of  apparent  death.  The  Sacred  Species  are 
consecrated  separately  in  order  to  recall  the 
loss  of  His  Blood  which,  flowing  from  His 
Body,  occasioned  His  sorrowful  death. 

He  gives  Himself  in  Communion.  The  Spe- 
cies are  consumed,  annihilated  in  us! 

Lastly,  Jesus  exposes  Himself  to  lose  even 
the  sacramental  life  by  the  profanation  of  the 
impious,  who  destroy  the  Sacred  Species. 

Sinners  who  receive  Him  unworthily  crucify 
Him  in  their  soul  and  unite  Him  to  the  demon, 
who  is  their  own  sovereign  master  I « Rursum 
crucifigentes  sibimetipsis  Filium  Dei  — Cru- 
cifying again  to  themselves  the  Son  of  God.  » 

HI 

N this  way,  and  in  so  far  as  He  can  in 
His  resuscitated  state,  Jesus  in  the  Eu- 
charist immolates  His  natural  life. 

In  His  Passion,  He  spared  not  His  divine 
life;  nor  does  He  spare  it  in  the  Eucharist. 


84 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


His  glory,  majesty,  and  power  are  not  seen 
in  the  Host.  He  is  only  the  Man  of  Sorrows, 
the  accursed  of  God  and  men.  Isaias  could  not 
recognize  Him  under  the  spittle  and  the  bruises 
that  sullied  His  august  countenance! 

Jesus  in  His  Passion  allowed  only  His  love  to 
appear.  Woe  to  them  who  will  not  recognize  it  1 
Only  a thief,  a robber,  adored  His  Divinity 
and  proclaimed  His  innocence;  only  nature 
deplored  its  Creator. 

In  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  Jesus  with  still 
more  love  continues  this  immolation  of  His 
attributes. 

Of  all  the  power  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  all  His 
glory,  we  behold  only  patience  so  great  that 
it  would  almost  scandalize  if  we  did  not  know 
that  His  love  for  us  is  infinite,  that  it  is  even 
foolishness!  Insanis,  Domine!  « Lord,  Thou 
art  beside  Thyself  1 » 

Our  sweet  Saviour  seems  to  say  to  us:  « Ah, 
well!  Have  I not  done  enough  for  you?  Do 
I not  deserve  your  love  ? What  can  I do  more  ? 
Try  to  think  of  some  sacrifice  that  I may  still 
make!  » 

O woe  to  those  that  despise  so  much  love! 
Let  them  understand  that  hell  is  not  too  much 


THE  SACRIFICES  OF  JESUS. 


85 


for  them...  But  let  us  abandon  this  thought... 
The  Eucharist  is  the  supreme  proof  of  Jesus’ 
love  for  us,  because  It  is  the  supreme  sacrifice. 


jAi  /Ax  jAs.  jAl  /Al  .cAa.  jAi.  iAa. 


^ of  the  SAVIOUR. 


Qnotiesaimque  mortem. . . , 
Dojiiini  afinuntiabiiis  donee 
veniat. 


As  often  as  you  shall  eat 
this  bread,  and  drink  the  chal- 
ice, you  shall  show  the  death 
of  the  Lord,  until  He  come. 

(I  Cor.  XI,  26.) 


I 


Nder  whatever  aspect  we  may 
consider  the  Holy  Eucharist, 
It  recalls  to  us  in  a striking 
manner  the  death  of  Our 
Lord. 

It  was  on  the  eve  of  His 
death  that  He  instituted  It,  on  the  very  night 
on  which  He  was  betrayed:  Pridie  quam  pate- 
retur...  in  node  qua  tradebatur. 

The  name  that  He  gives  It  is  the  Testament 
in  His  Blood : Hoc  testamentum  est  in  sanguine 


meo. 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


87 


The  state  of  Jesus  is  a state  of  death. 
Appearing  at  Brussels  and  at  Paris,  in  1290 
and  in  1369,  it  was  with  His  wounds,  as  our 
Divine  Victim. 

He  is  without  movement,  without  will,  like 
one  dead,  who  must  be  carried. 

Around  Him  reigns  the  silence  of  death.  His 
altar  is  a tomb,  for  it  contains  the  bones  of 
martyrs. 

The  Cross  surmounts  it.  The  Cross  points  it 
out  as  it  points  out  tombs.  The  corporal  that 
envelops  the  Sacred  Host  is  another  winding- 
sheet,  novum  sudarium.  When  the  priest 
vests  for  the  Sacrifice,  he  puts  on  the  insignia 
of  death.  All  the  sacred  vestments  are  orna- 
mented with  crosses.  He  carries  the  sacred 
emblem  on  his  breast  and  on  his  back. 

Always  death,  always  the  Cross.  Such  is  the 
state  of  the  Eucharist  considered  in  Itself. 


H 


JOnsidered  as  Sacrifice  and  as  Com- 
munion, It  is  still  death,  and  even  in  a 
more  sensible  manner. 

The  priest  pronounces  the  sacramental  words 
separately  over  the  matter  of  the  bread  and 


The  Divine  Eucharist, 


7 


88 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


separately  over  the  wine,  so  that  by  the  strict 
force  of  these  words,  the  Body  is  separated 
from  the  Blood,  and  that  is  death.  If  death 
does  not  really  take  place,’  it  is  because  the 
glorious  and  resuscitated  state  of  Jesus  Christ 
is  opposed  thereto.  He  assumes,  however,  death 
as  far  as  He  can.  He  takes  the  state  of  death, 
and  we  behold  Him  as  the  Lamb  immolated 
for  us. 

Thus  it  is  that  Jesus  Christ,  by  His  mystical 
death,  continues  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Cross, 
thereby  renewed  thousands  of  times  for  the 
sins  of  the  world. 

In  Communion,  the  Saviour’s  death  is  con- 
summated. The  heart  of  the  communicant  be- 
comes His  tomb,  for  the  Sacred  Species  dis- 
solving under  the  action  of  natural  heat,  the 
sacramental  state  ceases.  Jesus  Eucharistic  lives 
no  longer  in  us  corporally;  it  is  the  death  of 
the  Sacrament,  the  consuming  of  the  Holocaust. 

O glorious  tomb  in  the  heart  of  the  justl 
Tomb  of  ignominy  in  the  heart  of  the  sinner! 
In  the  first.  Our  Lord,  in  losing  His  sacra- 
mental Being,  leaves  His  Divinity,  His  Holy 
Spirit,  and  thereby  a germ  of  resurrection;  but 
in  the  guilty  heart,  Jesus  does  not  survive,  the 
end  of  the  Eucharist  is  frustrated.  Commu- 


THE  EUCHARIST  AND  THE  DEATH.  89 


^ nion  then  becomes  a profanation.  It  is  an 
unjust  and  violent  death  inflicted  on  Our  Lord, 
crucified  by  new  executioners. 


Ill 


fijmjHY  did  Our  Lord  wish  to  establish  so 
^^1  close  a relation  between  the  Sacrament 
of  the  Eucharist  and  His  death? 

First,  in  order  to  recall  to  us  what  His  Sacra- 
ment cost  Him. 

The  Eucharist  is,  indeed,  the  fruit  of  Jesus’ 
death. 

The  Eucharist  is  a testament,  a legacy, 
which  can  go  into  effect  only  by  the  death  of 
the  testator.  To  legalize  His  testament,  Jesus 
had  to  die.  Whenever,  then,  we  are  before  the 
Holy  Eucharist,  we  ought  to  say  : This  pre- 
cious Legacy  cost  Jesus  Christ  His  life.  And 
that  shows  us  His  immense  love,  for  He  has 
Himself  declared  that  there  is  no  greater  proof 
of  love  than  to  give  one’s  life  for  one’s  friends. 
Jesus  dying  in  order  to  leave  me,  in  order  to 
win  for  me,  the  Eucharist  — behold  the  su- 
preme mark  of  His  love!  How  many  think  on 
this  price  of  the  Eucharist?  and  yet  Jesus  is 
there  in  order  to  tell  it  to  us.  But  like  unnat- 


90 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Ural  cliildren,  we  care  only  to  use  and  to  enjoy 
our  riches,  without  thinking  of  Him  who  ac- 
quired them  for  us  at  the  cost  of  His  life. 

IV 

N the  second  place,  Jesus  established  that 
close  relation  between  His  Sacrament 
and  His  death,  in  order  to  repeat  to  us  inces- 
santly what  ought  to  be  the  effects  of  the 
Eucharist  in  us. 

The  first  is,  to  make  us  die  to  sin  and  to  our 
evil  inclinations. 

The  second  is,  to  make  us  die  to  the  world, 
and  to  crucify  us  with  Jesus  Christ,  according 
to  this  word  of  St.  Paul:  Mihi  mundus  cruci- 
fixus  estj  et  ego  mundo. 

The  third  is,  to  make  us  die  to  ourselves,  to 
our  tastes,  to  our  desires,  to  our  senses,  in  order 
to  clothe  us  with  Jesus  Christ  in  such  a way 
that  He  may  live  in  us,  and  that  we  may  be 
His  members  docile  to  His  will. 

It  is,  lastly,  that  we  may  participate  in 
His  glorious  Resurrection.  Jesus  Christ  sows 
Him.self  in  us.  The  Holy  Spirit  will  vivify  that 
Germ,  and  by  It  give  us  new  life,  but  a life 
glorious  and  unending. 


THE  EUCHARIST  AND  THE  DEATH.  9 I 

Such  are  some  of  the  reasons  that  led  Jesus 
Christ  to  surround  with  the  insignia  of  death 
this  Sacrament  of  life,  this  Sacrament  in  which 
His  love  triumphs. 

He  wishes  to  put  constantly  under  our  eyes 
what  we  have  cost  Him,  and  what  we  ought  to 
do  to  correspond  to  His  love. 

« O Lord!  » let  us  say  to  Him  with  the 
Church,  « Thou  who  hast  left  us  in  Thy  admir- 
able Sacrament  so  lively  a remembrance  of 
Thy  Passion,  grant  that  we  treat  the  Sacred 
Mystery  of  Thy  Body  and  Blood  with  such 
respect  as  to  deserve  to  experience  constantly 
in  ourselves  the  fruits  of  Thy  Redemption!  » 


^ ^ 


The  EUCHARIST, 

a NEED  of  the 

HEART  of  JESUS.  j 

Desiderio  desideravi  hoc  With  desire  have  I desired 
Pascha  mandticarevobiscuin,  to  eat  this  Pasch  with  you. 

(Luke  xxii,  15.) 

He  Eucharist  is  somewhat  of 
a superabundant  work  of  the 
Redemption.  It  was  not  de- 
manded of  Jesus  Christ  by 
the  justice  of  His  Father. 
The  Passion,  Calvary,  suf- 
ficed to  reconcile  us  with  God  and  to  reopen 
for  us  the  doors  of  the  paternal  home. 

Why  did  Our  Lord  institute  the  Eucharist? 

He  instituted  It  for  Himself,  for  His  own 
satisfaction,  for  the  contentment  of  His  own 
Heart. 

Understood  thus,  the  Holy  Eucharist  be- 
comes the  most  divine,  the  most  tender,  the 
most  loving  of  all  God's  gifts.  Its  nature.  Its 
character,  become  then  unmixed  goodness  and 
tenderness. 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


93 


Even  if  we  should  not  profit  by  It,  Our  Lord 
had  need  of  instituting  the  Eucharist,  and 
this  for  three  reasons: 

I 

|^gg|lRST,  because  He  is  our  Brother.  Our 
Lord  wished  to  gratify  His  fraternal 
affection  for  us. 

No  tenderness  is  more  lively,  no  love  more 
expansive  than  fraternal  love.  Friendship  calls 
for  equality,  and  that  is  found  only  between 
brothers. 

Now,  the  fraternal  love  of  Jesus  is  above 
all  that  we  can  conceive. 

The  Scripture  says  that  the  soul  of  Jonathan 
was  Icnit  to  that  of  David,  and  that  the  two 
made  but  one.  But  whatever  be  the  union  of 
two  men,  there  still  remains  in  them  a principle 
of  self,  of  egoism,  namely,  pride.  In  Our  Lord 
there  is  nothing  of  the  kind ; He  loves  us 
absolutely,  without  return  on  self. 

Whether  we  do,  or  do  not,  respond  to  His 
love,  it  matters  not.  He  pursues  us  with  the 
more  ardor. 

A brother  loves  to  see  his  brother,  to  dwell 
with  him.  Away  from  David,  Jonathan  lan- 
guished. 


94 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


And  Our  Lord  suffered  in  having  to  leave 
us.  He  wished  to  be  with  us,  to  say  to  us: 
Ye  are  My  brethren! 

O loving  word!  None  other  of  Jesus’  quali- 
ties admits  of  friendship.  Everywhere  else  He 
is  the  Benefactor,  the  Saviour.  His  sweet  and 
amiable  familiarity  is  found  nowhere  else. 

The  Eucharist  equalizes  all  men.  Outside 
of  the  temple,  there  are  dignitaries ; at  the 
Table  of  Jesus,  our  Eldest  Brother,  we  are 
all  brethren. 

Ah,  how  much  to  be  regretted  that,  when 
we  communicate,  we  think  only  upon  the  maj- 
esty, the  sanctity  of  Our  Lord!  In  other 
mysteries,  those  thoughts  are  good;  but  let  us 
approach  the  Eucharist  to  find  therein  tender- 
ness and  love. 


H 

Ur  Lord  wishes  to  remain  with  us,  be- 
cause He  is  Our  Saviour.  He  wishes  to 
be  with  us  not  only  to  apply  to  us  the  merits  of 
the  Redemption,  for  He  has  many  other  means 
for  that,  such  as  prayer,  the  Sacraments,  etc. ; 
but  He  wishes  it,  in  order  to  enjoy  His  vic- 
tory and  His  title  of  Saviour, 


A NEED  OF  THE  HEART  OF  JESUS.  95 


A child  saved  by  its  mother  from  a great 
danger  is  doubly  loved.  Our  Lord,  to  whom 
we  have  cost  so  much,  had  need  of  loving  us 
with  tender  love,  in  order  to  console  Himself 
for  the  sufferings  of  Calvary. 

He  has  done  much  for  us  I He  loves  us  in 
proportion  to  the  price  that  He  has  paid  for 
us.  And  we  have  been  bought  at  an  infinite 
price.  No  one  abandons  them  whom  he  has 
saved.  He  has  exposed  his  life  for  them,  and 
he  loves  them  as  his  life.  In  that  love  he  tastes 
inexpressible  happiness. 

Certainly,  Our  Lord  has  the  Heart  of  a 
mother  I He  would  rather  forsake  the  angels 
than  abandon  us. 

Our  Lord  has  need  of  seeing  us  again.  Two 
friends  on  the  battlefield,  meeting  after  long 
years,  know  not  how  to  express  their  joy. 

We  make  a long  journey  to  visit  a friend, 
especially  a friend  of  our  early  years;  and 
does  not  Our  Lord  possess  all  those  good  and 
noble  sentiments?  Why  should  He  not? 

Our  Lord  still  retains  His  Wounds  in  the 
Eucharist.  He  keeps  them,  for  they  are  His 
glory  and  His  consolation.  They  repeat  to 
Him  all  the  love  that  He  has  felt  for  us. 

And  what  pleasure  it  gives  Him  when  we 


96 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


come  to  thank  Him  for  His  benefits,  for  His 
sufferings!  One  great  reason  for  His  instituting 
the  Eucharist  is  that  we  may  come  to  console 
Him  in  His  sorrows,  His  poverty.  His  Gross. 
He  begs  compassion  and  return  for  so  much 
love. 

Yes,  Our  Lord  ought  to  be  with  those  that 
He  loves;  and  it  is  we  whom  He  loves,  because 
it  is  we  whom  He  has  saved. 

HI 

Astly,  Our  Lord  wishes  to  remain  with 
us,  and  He  testifies  to  us  so  much  love  in 
the  Eucharist,  because  His  Divine  Father  loves 
us  infinitely.  He  has  need  of  making  to  His 
Father  some  return  for  us. 

Sometimes  we  feel  a sudden  affection  for 
a person  whom  we  have  never  seen,  whom  we 
do  not  know.  Again,  a thought,  a circum- 
stance, a remembrance,  recalls  to  us  a cher- 
ished friend;  and  we  feel  a certain ‘ sympathy 
for  him  who  reminds  us  of  the  lost  one.  We 
feel  impelled,  also,  to  love  the  friend  of  our 
friend,  even  without  knowing  him,  and  merely 
because  he  is  dear  to  our  friend.  But  little  is 
necessary  for  that.  Your  heart,  cherishing  your 


A NEED  OF  THE  HEART  OF  JESUS.  97 


friend,  instinctively  loves  all  that  interests  him. 

It  is  the  same  with  Jesus.  The  Father  loves 
us,  and  Our  Lord,  who  loves  His  Father,  will 
love  us  on  account  of  Him  independently  of 
every  other  reason.  It  is  a necessity  for  the 
Son  of  God.  He  cannot  forget  those  that  His 
Father  loves. 

Let  us  now,  taking  the  other  side,  say  to 
Our  Lord:  O I do,  indeed,  thank  Thee  for 
having  instituted  the  Eucharist  for  my  good! 
But,  sweet  Saviour,  it  is  to  me  that  Thou  dost 
owe  the  power  of  being  able  to  institute  It. 
I am  the  cause  of  It.  If  thou  dost  rejoice  in 
the  title  of  Saviour,  of  Brother,  it  is  to  me 
that  Thou  dost  owe  these  titles.  If  Thou 
canst  still  do  good,  if  Thou  canst  still  save. 
Thou  owest  it  to  me.  It  is  to  us  that  Thou 
owest  Thy  beautiful  title  of  Brother. 

Our  Lord,  moreover,  is  begging  for  adorers. 
His  grace  is  come  to  seek  us.  Then,  Our  Lord 
wants  us.  He  has  need  of  us! 

For  Exposition,  adorers  are  needed,  other- 
wise He  cannot  come  forth  from  His  taber- 
nacle. 

At  Mass,  a server,  at  least,  is  necessary, 
and  he  represents  the  people,  the  Faithful. 


98 


JHE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


We  give  to  Our  Lord  the  conditions  of  His 
royalty. 

Weigh  well  this  thought.  It  will  elevate  you, 
ennoble  you.  It  will  give  you  immense  desires 
to  love,  and  remind  you  that  noblesse  oblige. 

Say  often  to  Our  Lord  with  holy  liberty: 
« Yes,  Good  Master,  Thou  dost  owe  us  some- 
thing, too ! » 


Us 


Fecisti  nos  ad  te^  Deus ! \ Thou  hast  made  us  for 

Thyself,  O God  ! 

1 (St.  Augustine.) 

Hy  is  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Eu- 
charist ? 

We  might  make  several 
answers  to  this  question.  But 
that  which  comprises  them  all 
is  this : He  is  there  because 
He  loves  us,  and  because  He  desires  that  we 
love  Him.  Love  — that  is  the  reason  of  the 
institution  of  the  Eucharist. 

Without  the  Eucharist,  the  love  of  Jesus 
Christ  would  be  for  us  a dead  love,  a past 
love,  which  we  should  soon  forget,  and  which 
we  should  be  almost  pardonable  in  forgetting. 
Love  has  its  laws,  its  demands.  The  Eucharist 
alone  fully  satisfies  them.  By  It,  Jesus  Christ 
has  every  right  to  be  loved,  because  He  tes- 
tifies in  It  infinite  love  for  us. 


lOO 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Now,  natural  love,  such  as  God  has  put  into 
our  hearts,  demands  three  things : ‘ The  pres- 
ence of  the  loved  one,  or  social  life;  commu- 
nity of  goods;  and  perfect  union. 

I 

Bsence  is  the  pain  of  friendship,  its 
torment.  Distance  weakens  and,  if  it  is 
too  prolonged,  ends  by  putting  the  firmest 
friendship  to  death. 

If  Our  Lord  is  away  from  us,  removed  from 
us,  our  love  for  Him  will  undergo  the.  dis- 
solving effect  of  absence.  It  is  in  the  nature 
of  man’s  love  to  require,  in  order  to  live,  the 
presence  of  the  object  loved. 

Behold  the  poor  Apostles  while  Our  Lord 
was  in  the  tomb.  The  disciples  of  Emmaus 
avowed  that  they  had  almost  lost  faith,  be- 
cause they  no  longer  had  their  good  Master. 

Ah!  if  Our  Lord  had  left  us  with  no  other 
pledge  of  His  Love  than  Bethlehem  and  Cal- 
vary — poor  Saviour!  how  quickly  we  should 
have  forgotten  Him!  What  indifference! 

Love  wishes  to  see,  to  hear,  to  converse,  to 
touch. 

Nothing  takes  the  place  of  the  beloved  one. 


THE  NEED  OF  OUR  HEART. 


lOI 


neither  souvenir,  nor  gifts,  nor  portraits.  All 
that  is  without  life. 

Our  Lord  knew  it  well.  Nothing  could  have 
taken  the  place  of  His  Person.  We  need  Our 
Lord  Himself. 

But  His  Word?  No,  it  no  longer  sounds. 
We  no  longer  hear  the  touching  accents  that 
fell  from  the  lips  of  the  Saviour. 

His  Gospel?  It  is  a testament. 

But  His  Sacraments  — do  they  not  give 
life?  Ah!  it  takes  the^ Author  of  Life  to  sustain 
it  in  us! 

The  Cross?  No;  apart  from  Jesus,  it  only 
saddens ! 

But  hope?  Without  Jesus,  it  is  agony! 

Protestants  have  all  that,  and  yet  Protes- 
tantism is  cold  and  frozen! 

Could  Jesus  have  wished  to  reduce  us  to  so 
sad  a state  of  living  and  struggling  without 
Him? 

p we  should  be  too  unhappy  without  Jesus 
present  with  us!  Exiled,  alone  upon  earth, 
obliged  to  deprive  ' ourselves  of  terrestrial 
goods,  of  the  consolations  of  life,  while  the 
worlding  has  all  that  he'  desires  — life  would 
be  insupportable! 

But  with  the  Eucharist!  with  Jesus  in  the 


102 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


midst  of  us,  often  under  the  same  roof,  by  day 
and  by  night,  accessible  to  all,  waiting  for 
everyone  in  His  ever-open  house,  admitting 
the  lowly,  calling  them  with  marked  predilec- 
tion — ah  I life  is  less  bitter.  He  is  the  good 
Father  in  the  midst  of  His  children.  It  is 
social  life  with  Jesus. 

And  what  society  1 Society  that  makes  us 
better,  that  elevates  us!  And  what  facilities  for 
social  relations  vinth  heaven,  with  Jesus  Christ 
Himself  in  Person! 

It  is,  indeed,  the  sweet  companionship  of 
simple,  loving,  familiar,  and  intimate  friend- 
ship. 

Ah!  it  was  necessary! 

II 

desires  community  of  goods,  com- 
mon  possession.  It  wishes  to  share  happi- 
ness and  unhappiness.  To  give  is  its  nature,  its 
instinct,  to  giVe  all  with  joy,  with  pleasure. 

And  so,  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament  gives  with  profusion,  with  prod- 
igality, His  merits.  His  graces,  yes,  even  His 
glory!  O how  eager  He  is  to  give!  He  never 
refuses. 


THE  NEED  OF  OUR  HEART.  T03 

And  He  gives  Himself  to  all  and  always. 

He  covers  the  world  with  consecrated  Hosts. 
He  wishes  all  His  children  to  possess  Him. 
There  still  remain  twelve  baskets  of  the  five 
loaves  multiplied  in  the  desert.  All  must  have 
some ! 

Jesus  Christ  would  wish  to  envelop  the  world 
in  His  sacramental  veil,  to  fertilize  all  na- 
tions in  the  waters  of  life  that  are  losing 
themselves  in  the  ocean  of  eternity,  but  only 
after  having  slaked  the  thirst,  and  strengthened 
the  last  of  the  elect. 

Ah!  it  is  well  for  us,  for  all  of  us,  O Jesus 
Eucharistic  1 

HI 

OvE  tends  to  union,  the  union  of  them 
that  love,  the  fusion  of  two  into  one, 
of  two  hearts  into  one  heart,  of  two  spirits  into 
one,  of  two  souls  into  one. 

Listen  to  a mother  clasping  her  child  to  her 
breast:  « 1 eat  it!  » 

Jesus  submitted  to  this  law  of  love,  which 
He  had  Himself  established.  After  having 
shared  our  state,  our  life.  He  gives  Himself 
in  Communion,  He  absorbs  us  into  Himself. 


The  Divine  Eucharist 


8 


104 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Divine  union  of  souls,  always  more  perfect, 
always  more  intimate  in  proportion  to  the 
vivacity  of  our  desires!  In  me  manet,  et  ego 
in  eo.  — lie  in  me,  and  1 in  Him.  We  abide 
in  Him,  He  dwells  in  us.  We  make  but  one 
with  Him,  until  heaven  consummates  in  eternal 
and  glorious  union,  the  ineffable  union  com- 
menced here  below  by  grace,  and  perfected  by 
the  Eucharist  1 

Love  lives,  then,  with  Jesus  present  in  the 
Most  Blessed  Sacrament.  It  shares  all  the 
riches  of  Jesus.  It  is  united  with  Jesus. 

The  needs  of  our  heart  are  satisfied.  It  can 
demand  no  more.  . , 


Ego  honorifico  Patrem  I I honor  my  Father. 
vtenm.  I (John  viii,  49. 

rd  does  not  will  to  re- 
on  this  earth  only  by 
ace,  His  truth,  His  word. 

here  in  Person.  We 
3 the  same  Lord  Jesus 
who  lived  in  Judea, 
although  under  another  form  of  life.  He  has 
taken  a sacramental  vestment,  but  He  is  always 
Jesus,  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Son  of  Mary. 

The  glory  of  His  Father,  which  above  all 
else  our  Lord  sought  upon  earth,  still  forms  the 
object  of  His  desires  in  the  Sacrament.  We 
may  say  that  Jesus  Christ  clothed  Himself  with 
the  sacramental  state  in  order  to  continue  hon- 
oring and  glorifying  His  Father. 


io6 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


I 

Y His  Incarnation,  the  Divine  Word  re- 
paired, restored  the  glory  of  the  Creator, 
sullied  in  creation  by  the  fall  of  man  and  by 
pride. 

For  this  work  the  Word  humbled  Himself 
so  far  as  to  unite  Himself  to  our  human  nature. 
He  descended  into  the  bosom  of  Mary,  He 
annihilated  Himself,  He  appeared  among  men 
clothed  in  the  form  of  a slave. 

After  having  paid  man’s  ransom,  rendered 
to  God  infinite  glory  by  the  actions  of  His 
life,  purified  the  earth  by  His  presence.  He 
ascended  glorious  to  Heaven.  His  work  was 
done. 

The  triumphant  Ascension  of  the  Saviour 
— O what  a beautiful  day  for  heaven! 

But  sad  was  that  day  for  earth,  which  saw 
its  King,  its  Redeemer  depart  from  it.  Might  it 
not  fear  to  become  for  heaven  a land  of  mere 
memory,  of  forgetfulness,  perhaps,  of  wrath 
and  storms? 

Jesus  had,  indeed,  left  His  Church  to  men. 
His  good  and  holy  Apostles.  But  they  are  not 
the  good  Master  1 There  would  be  many  a 
spirit  who  would  imitate  Jesus  their  Model;  but 


THE  EUCHARIST  AND  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD.  I07 


after  all,  they  would  be  men  like  others,  weak 
I and  imperfect,  capable  while  here  below  of 
I falling  deeply. 

! If,  then,  the  reparation  wrought  by  Jesus 
Christ,  the  glory  acquired  for  His  Father  by 
His  labors  and  sufferings,  are  left  in  the 
j hands  of  men,  is  it  not  to  be  feared  that  they 
be  imperilled? 

I Are  not  the  work  of  Redemption  and  the 
I glorification  of  God  too  greatly  exposed  by 
I leaving  them  to  the  care  of  men,  so  imperfect, 
so  inconstant  ? 

' No  I no!  A kingdom  conquered  at  the  cost  of 
■ unprecedented  sacrifices,  at  the  cost  of  the 
Incarnation  and  Death  of  a God,  ought  not 
to  be  thus  abandoned  I 

The  Divine  Law  of  love  must  not  be  thus 
exposed. 

H 

, jpMjlHAT  will  the  Saviour  do? 
wSA  He  will  remain-  upon  earth.  He  will 
continue  there  His  office  of  Adorer,  of  Glorifier 
I of  His  Father.  He  will  become  the  Sacrament 
of  the  glory  of  God. 

Do  you  see  Jesus  on  the  altar,  in  the  taber': 
p^Qlef 


io8 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


He  is  there.  What  is  He  doing  there? 

He  is  adoring  His  Father.  He  is  giving  Him 
thanks,  and  continuing  His  office  of  intercessor 
for  men.  He  has  become  a Victim  of  propi- 
tiation, a Host  of  reparation  for  the  glory 
of  an  outraged  God.  He  remains  upon  His 
mystical  Calvary,  repeating  His  sublime  word: 
« Father,  forgive  them  I I offer  Thee  My  Blood, 
My  Wounds  for  them!  » 

He  multiplies  Himself  everywhere,  wherever 
there  is  something  to  expiate.  Wherever  there 
is  a Christian  family,  there  Jesus  desires  to  go 
in  order  to  form  with  it  a society  of  adoration, 
to  glorify  His  Father  by  adoring  Him  Himself 
and  by  causing  Him  to  be  adored  in  spirit  and 
in  truth. 

God  the  Father  satisfied,  glorified  as  much 
as  He  deserves,  cries  out:  « My  name  is  great 
among  the  Gentiles,  for  from  the  rising  of 
the  sun  to  the  going  down  there  is  offered  to 
My  name  a clean  oblation.  » 


HI 


||Ut,  O marvel  of  the  Eucharist!  Jesus 
renders  to  His  Father  by  His  sacra- 
mental state,  new  homage  such  as  He  had 


THE  EUCHARIST  AND  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD.  I09 


never  received  from  any  creature.  This  hom- 
age is  greater,  so  to  speak,  than  aught  else 
that  the  Word  Incarnate  could  do  on  earth. 

What,  then,  is  the  nature  of  this  extraordi- 
nary homage? 

It  is  the  homage  of  the  King  of  Glory 
perfected  in  the  power  and  majesty  of  heaven, 
who  comes  into  His  Sacrament  to  immolate 
to  His  Father  not  only  His  divine  glory  as  in 
the  Incarnation,  but  even  His  human  glory, 
the  glorious  qualities  of  His  resuscitated  Hu- 
manity! 

Unable  in  heaven  fo^  honor  His  Father  by 
the  sacrifice  of  His  glory,  Jesus  Christ  comes 
back  to  earth,  becomes  again  incarnate  on 
the  altar,  and  the  Heavenly  Father  can  con- 
template Him  again  poor  as  in  Bethlehem, 
although  He  still  remains  the  King  of  heaven 
and  earth. 

The  Father  sees  Him  humble  and  obedient 
as  at  Nazareth,  submissive  not  only  to  the 
ignominy  of  the  Cross,  but  even  to  sacrilegious 
Communion,  submissive  to  His  enemies  and 
profaners. 

Meek  Lamb  that  never  complains! 

Tender  Victim  that  knows  not  how  to  mur- 
mur! 


no 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Good  Saviour  who  never  avenges  Himself! 

But  why  ? Why  all  this  ? 

To  glorify  God  His  Father  by  the  mystical 
continuing  of  all  the  virtues,  by  the  perpetual 
sacrifice  of  His  liberty,  His  power  and  glory, 
bound  by  His  love  in  the  Sacrament  even  till 
the  last  hour  of  the  world. 

Jesus  Christ  here  below,  counterbalancing 
the  pride  of  man  by  His  humiliations,  and 
rendering  to  His  Father  infinite  glory  — what 
a spectacle  for  the  Heart  of  God  I What  a 
reason  for  the  existence  of  the  Eucharistic 
Presence,  most  worthy  of  the  love  of  Jesus 
Christ  for  His  Divine  Father! 


The  DIVINE  SPOUSE  of  the 


^ CHURCH. 


t/ta.  lAa.  jAv  2;^  j/^  j:^ 


i 

'h 

i 

i 

i 


Chfistus  dilexit  Ecclesiam 
sponsavi. 


Christ  loved  the  Church, 
which  He  has  made  His  Im- 
maculate Spouse. 

(Ephes.  V,  25.) 


1 


Ne  reason  for  the  institution  of 
the  Eucharist  is  the  love  of 
Jesus  Christ  for  His  Church. 

Our  Lord  came  down  from 
heaven  to  form  His  Church, 
to  establish  it,  to  die  for  it 
on  the  Cross.  The  Church  came  forth  from 
His  opened  side  with  the  blood  and  the  water, 
the  new  Eve  formed  from  the  body  of  the 
second  Adam.  All  the  actions  and  sufferings 
of  Jesus  Christ  had  for  their  end  to  acquire 
an  infinite  treasure  of  graces  and  merits  for 


II2 


the  divine  EUCHARIST. 


the  Church,  of  which  she  could  dispose  in 
favor  of  His  children.  She  is  the  heiress  of  all 
these  treasures. 

But  had  Jesus  ascended  to  heaven  after  His 
Resurrection,  satisfied  with  merely  leaving  His 
Church  the  depositary  of  His  truth  and  His 
grace,  she  would  have  remained  here  below 
a spouse  in  mourning,  bewailing  the  absence 
of  her  Divine  Spouse. 

But  that  could  not  be.  It  would  not  have 
been  worthy  of  the  Saviour’s  power  and  love. 

^ Jesus  will  remain  with  the  Church,  to  be  her  !, 
life,  her  strength,  and  her  glory.  | 

1 

II 

He  life  of  a spouse  deprived  of  her  hus- 
band is  no  longer  life.  It  is  gloom,  it 
is  agony.  But  by  his  side  she  is  full  of  life  and 
joy.  She  possesses  his  heart,  and  she  is  happy 
in  devoting  herself  to  his  service. 

Such  is  the  Church  in  presence  of  the  Eu- 
charist. 

The  Eucharist  is  the  object  of  her  love,  the 
centre  of  her  heart,  the  joy  and  happiness  of 
her  life. 

She  watches  day  and  night  by  her  children  at 


THE  DIVINE  SPOUSE  OF  THE  CHURCH.  TT3 


the  feet  of  the  God  of  the  tabernacle,  to  honor, 
love,  and  serve  Him.  The  Eucharist  is  the 
motive  and  the  end  of  all  her  worship.  The 
Eucharist  is  its  soul.  Without  the  Eucharist 
her  worship  would  cease ; there  would  no 
longer  be  any  reason  for  it. 

Protestant  sects,  not  possessing  the  Divine 
Spouse,  abandon  exterior  worship  as  super- 
fluous and  useless. 


Ill 

It  is  by  the  Eucharist  that  the  Church  is 
strong  and  fruitful,  that  her  countless 
children  are  spread  all  over  the  world,  and 
daily  do  her  missionaries  bring  new  ones  into 
her  fold.  She  is  to  be  the  Mother  of  the  human 
race.  But  whence  comes  her  fruitfulness?  Is 
it  from  Baptism?  from  Penance?  These  Sacra- 
ments, no  doubt,  give  life  or  restore  it.  But 
what  is  to  become  of  her  children  after  their 
birth  in  the  waters  of  divine  regeneration? 

They  must  be  nourished  and  reared. 

They  have  in  them  the  germ  of  God,  which 
must  be  developed  and  increased.  Now,  it  is 
by  the  Eucharist  that  the  Church  forms  Jesus 
Christ  in  her  children. 


TI4 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


The  Eucharist  is  the  living  bread  with  which 
she  sustains  their  supernatural  life. 

It  is  by  the  Eucharist  that  she  carries  on 
their  education,  for  there  alone  do  souls  find 
abundance  of  light  and  life,  the  force  of  all 
virtues. 

Agar  in  the  wilderness  wept  at  not  being  able 
to  refresh  and  nourish  her  son,  who  was  dying 
of  starvation. 

The  Synagogue,  the  Protestant  sects,  are 
prefigured  by  this  mother,  powerless  to  satisfy  j 
the  wants  of  her  child.  Their  children  ask  | 
for  bread,  but  no  one  gives  it  to  them.  I 

The  Church,  on  the  contrary,  receives  every 
morning  the  Bread  of  Heaven  for  each  of 
her  children.  There  is  enough  for  all : Quantum 
istij  tantum  illi. 

And  It  is  the  Bread  of  Angels,  the  Bread  of 
Kings  1 — therefore  are  her  children  beautiful 
as  the  Bread  that  nourishes  them.  They  are 
strong,  their  hunger  appeased  with  the  Wheat 
of  the  Elect.  They  have  the  right  to  sit 
daily  at  the  royal  Feast.  The  tables  of  the 
Church  are  always  spread,  and  she  invites,  she 
conjures  her  children  to  come  and  draw  from 
them  the  strength  of  life. 


THE  DIVINE  SPOUSE  OF  THE  CHURCH.  II5 


IV 

He  Eucharist  is  the  glory  of  the  Church. 
Jesus  Christ,  her  Spouse,  is  King.  He 
is  the  King  of  Glory.  His  Father  has  placed 
a resplendent  crown  on  His  head.  But  the 
glory  of  the  husband  is  the  glory  of  the  spouse ; 
and  the  Church,  like  the  beautiful  star  of 
night,  reflects  the  divine  rays  of  the  Sun  of 
Glory. 

The  Church,  on  acount  of  the  God  of  the 
Eucharist,  is  beautiful  on  the  feast  days  of 
her  Spouse.  She  adorns  herself  with  her  vest- 
ments of  honor,  she  chants  her  solemn  hymns, 
she  invites  her  children  to  assemble  and  do 
honor  to  the  God  of  her  heart. 

She  is  happy  in  rendering  glory  to  her  King 
and  her  God.  In  listening  to  her,  in  beholding 
her,  one  would  imagine  himself  transported 
to  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  in  which  the  an- 
gelic choirs  glorify  in  uninterrupted  festival 
the  immortal  King  of  ages. 

She  is  triumphant  when,  on  the  Feast  of 
Corpus  Christi,  she  extends  her  long  proces- 
sions, the  cortege  of  the  God  of  the  Eucharist. 
She  advances  then  like  an  army  in  battle  array, 
her  Chief  at  her  head.  Then  do  kings  and 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


1 16 


people,  the  little  and  the  great,  sing  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  who  has  fixed  His  abode  in  the 
midst  of  His  Church. 

The  reign  of  the  Eucharist  is  the  reign  of 
the  Church.  Where  the  Eucharist  is  forgotten, 
the  Church  has  only  unfaithful  children,  and 
soon  she  will  weep  a new  loss. 


! 


Vere  Ut  es  Deus  abscondi- 
tuSy  Deus  Israel  Salvator  ! 


Verily,  Thou  art  a hidden 
God,  the  God  of  Israel,  the 
Saviour.  (Is.  xlv,  15.) 


Hat  the  Son  of  God  should 
have  loved  man  so  far  as  to 
become  incarnate  we  can  un- 
derstand, for  the  Creator  ought 
to  have  at  heart  the  repairing 
of  the  work  of  His  own  hands. 

That  the  Man-God  should  die  upon  the 
Cross,  we  can  again  understand,  for  it  was  by 
an  excess  of  love. 

But  what  we  cannot  understand,  what  startles 
the  weak  in  faith,  what  scandalizes  the  incred- 
ulous, is  that  Jesus  Christ,  glorious  and 
crowned,  after  having  finished  His  mission 
here  below,  still  desires  to  remain  with  us,  and 
that  in  a state  more  humble,  more  annihilated 


it8 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


than  at  Bethlehem,  than  even  on  Calvary  itself. 

Let  us  respectfully  raise  the  mysterious  veil 
that  covers  the  Holy  of  Holies,  and  try  to 
comprehend  the  excess  of  love  the  Saviour 
bears  us. 


■ I 

His  veiled  state  gives  most  glory  to  the 
Heavenly  Father,  for  Jesus  thus  renews 
and  glorifies  all  the  conditions  of  His  mortal 
life.  What  He  cannot  do  in  the  glory  of  heaven, 
He  does  by  His  state  of  annihilation  on  the 
altar.  What  loving  looks  the  Heavenly  Father 
casts  upon  the  earth,  where  He  beholds  His 
Son,  whom  He  loves  as  Himself,  in  a state 
of  poverty,  humility,  and  obedience! 

Our  Lord  has  found  the  means  of  perpet- 
uating and  incessantly  renewing  the  sacrifice 
of  Calvary.  He  desires  that  His  Father  should 
have  constantly  under  His  eyes  the  heroic 
act  by  which  He  renders  Him  infinite  glory, 
by  immolating  Himself  for  the  destruction  of 
the  reign  of  Satan,  His  enemy. 

Jesus  Christ  still  continues  to  subject  pride 
to  the  struggle  that  conquers  it.  As  nothing 
is  so  hateful  to  God  as  pride,  so  nothing 


THE  HIDDEN  GOD. 


II9 

glorifies  Him  so  much  as  humility.  The  glory 
of  His  Father  is  the  first  reason  for  Jesus’ 
hidden  state  in  the-  Eucharist. 

II  ' ' 

Eiled  from  sight,  Jesus  Christ  labors  at 
the  work  of  my  sanctification.  To  be- 
come a saint  I must  conquer  pride  and  sup- 
plant it  by  humility.  Now,  in  the  Eucharist, 
Jesus  gives  me  the  example  and  the  grace  of 
humility. 

He  it  was  wEo,  ages  agone,  pronounced 
these  words : « Learn  of  Me  that  I am  meek 
and  humble  of  heart.  » — For  nineteen  cen- 
turies humility  would  have  been  but  a name  if 
we  had  not  had  the  remembrance  of  Our 
Saviour’s  example  during  Flis  mortal  life.  We 
could  have  said  with  truth : But,  Lord,  I never 
saw  Thee  humbled! 

Ah,  well!  Jesus  Christ  is  there  to  respond  to 
our  excuses  and  complaints.  It  is  from  the 
tabernacle,  from  beneath  the  veil  of  the  Host 
that  escapes  this  word:  « Learn  of  Me  that  I 
am  meek  and  humble  of  heart.  » Learn  of  Me 
to  hide  your  good  works,  your  virtues,  your 
sacrifices.  Descend ! come  down  to  Me  1 

The  Divine  Eucharist 


9 


120 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


And  the  grace  of  humility  is  found  in  the 
humiliated  state  of  Jesus  in  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament.  What  human  glory  will  fear  to 
abase  itself  since  the  King  of  Glory  descend- 
ed to  such  a state  ? What  rich  man  will 
not  esteem  desirable  the  poverty  of  our  Eu- 
charistic Jesus?  Who  will  refuse  obedience  to 
God  and  His  representatives  since  God  Him- 
self obeys  man? 


HI 

[He  hidden  state  of  Jesus  encourages  my 
weakness. 

I can  without  fear  approach  Him,  contem- 
plate Him,  and  speak  to  Him.  If  His  glory 
shone  around,  who  would  dare  speak  to  Him, 
since  even  the  Apostles  fell  to  the  earth  in 
fear  on  beholding  one  ray  of  that  glory  on 
Thabor  ? 

Jesus  veiled  the  power  that  would  affright 
man.  He  veiled  His  sanctity,  which  is  so 
sublime  that  it  would  discourage  our  weak 
virtues.  The  mother  lisps  with  her  little  one, 
and  puts  herself  within  its  reach  to  raise  it  in 
her  arms;  and  so  does  Jesus  make  Himself 
little  with  the  little  in  order  to  raise  them  to 
Himself  and  up  to  God. 


THE  HIDDEN  GOD. 


12  1 


Jesus  hides  His  love,  tempers  it.  Its  ardor 
is  such  that  it  would  consume  us  if  we  were 
exposed  to  its  direct  flames : « Ignis  consu- 
mens  est  — God  is  a consuming  fire.  » 
Behold  how  Jesus  veiled  encourages  our 
weakness ! What  greater  proof  of  love  than  this 
Eucharistic  veil? 


IV 


He  Eucharistic  veil  perfects  our  faith. 

Faith  is  a pure  act  of  the  mind,  disen- 
gaged from  the  senses.  Here  the  senses  are 
not  brought  into  play,  they  have  no  action. 
It  is  the  only  mystery  of  Jesus  Christ  in  which 
the  senses  have  to  keep  absolute  silence.  In 
all  the  others,  in  the  Incarnation,  the  Re- 
demption, they  behold  an  Infant  God,  a dying 
God.  In  this  mystery  nothing  is  presented  to 
them  but  an  impenetrable  veil.  Here  faith 
alone  must  act.  The  Eucharist  is  the  kingdom 
of  faith. 

This  Eucharistic  cloud  demands  from  us  a 
very  meritorious  sacrifice,  that  of  our  mind 
and  our  reason.  We  must  believe  even  against 
the  evidence  of  our  senses,  against  the  ordinary 
laws  of  existence,  against  our  own  experience. 


122  THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


We  must  believe  on  the  simple  word  of  Jesus 
Christ.  There  is  only  one  question  to  be 
asked : « Who  is  there  ? » — « I,  » responds 
Jesus  Christ.  Let  us  fall  down  and  adore! 

And  this  pure  faith,  disengaged  from  the 
senses,  free  in  its  action,  brings  us  in  closest 
union  with  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament:  « The  flesh  profiteth  nothing,  » 
says  the  Saviour,  « My  words  are  spirit  and 
life.  » The  soul  clears  the  barrier  of  the 
senses  and  enters  into  the  admirable  contem- 
plation of  the  divine  presence  of  God  under 
the  Sacred  Species,  veiled  that  we  may  be 
able  to  support  its  brilliancy,  but  yet  trans- 
parent to  the  eyes  of  faith. 

Still  more,  instead  of  being  a trial,  this  veil 
becomes  for  humble  and  sincere  faith  a stim- 
ulus and  an  encouragement.  We  love  to  pene- 
trate a veiled  truth,  to  discover  a hidden  treas- 
ure, to  triumph  over  a difficulty.  The  faithful 
soul,  therefore,  before  the  Eucharistic  veil  seeks 
her  Lord  as  did  Magdalen  at  the  tomb.  Her 
desires  are  ever  on  the  increase ; she  calls 
Him  as  did  the  spouse  of  the  Canticles;  she 
delights  in  ascribing  to  Him  every  charm,  in 
covering  Him  with  glory.  The  Eucharist  is 
for  her  what  Almighty  God  is  for  the  blessed 


THE  HIDDEN  GOD. 


123 


r 


in  heaven,  a truth,  a beauty  ever  ancient  and 
ever  new,  which  they  never  tire  gazing  upon 
and  studying:  « Quceram  quern  diligit  anima 
mea — I will  seek  him  whom  my  soul  loveth.  » 
Lord,  Thou  Well-Beloved  of  my  soul,  I will 
constantly  seek  Thee!  Show  me  Thy  adorable 
Face! 

Jesus  manifests  Himself  gradually  to  our  soul 
according  to  the  measure  of  its  faith  and  love." 
In  this  way,  the  soul  finds  in  Jesus  nourishment 
ever  new,  life  inexhaustible.  The  Divine  Object 
of  her  contemplation  appears  to  her  always 
possessed  of  new  qualities,  full  of  new  good- 
ness. As  in  this  world  love  lives  on  desire  and 
possession,  so  the  soul  with  regard  to  the  Eu- 
charist enjoys  and  desires  at  the  same  time. 
She  eats,  and  still  she  hungers! 

Ah,  yes!  It  was  only  the  wisdom  and  good- 
ness of  Our  Lord  that  could  invent  the  Eu- 
charistic veil  I 


1 


Cur  faciem  tuani  abscon-  I Why  hidest  Thou  Thy  Face  ? 
dis  f I (Job  xiii,  24.) 

I 

Hy  does  Our  Lord  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament  veil  Him- 
self under  the  Sacred  Species? 

It  is  hard  for  us  to  accus- 
tom  ourselves  to  Our  Lord’s  1 
hidden  state.  We  should  fre-  ^ 
quently  reflect  on  this  truth,  for  we  must  ;i 
believe  firmly  and  practically  that  Our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  although  in  a veiled  manner,  is  - 
really,  truly,  and  substantially  present  in  the 
Holy  Eucharist. 

Then,  why  this  silent  presence,  this  impene- 
trable veil?  « Lord,  » we  are  often  tempted  • 
to  say,  « show  us  Thy  Face!  » 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


125 


Our  Lord  makes  us  feel  His  power.  He 
attracts  us,  He  keeps  us  in  respect,  although 
we  do  not  behold  Him.  But  how  sweet,  how 
good  it  would  be  to  hear  some  words  from  His 
lips! 

What  a consolation  it  would  be,  what  an 
assurance  of  His  friendship  for  us,  if  He  would 
show  Himself!  For,  we  say,  He  shows  Him* 
self  only  to  those  that  He  loves. 

H 

H,  well!  Our  Lord  hiding  Himself  is 
more  lovable  than  if  He  were  to  disclose 
Himself.  His  silence  is  more  eloquent  than 
speech,  and  what  we  look  upon  as  a punish- 
ment is  an  effect  of  His  love  and  goodness. 

Yes,  were  He  to  show  Himself  we  should  be 
unhappy.  The  contrast  between  His  virtues 
and  ours,  the  sight  of  His  glory  would  humble 
us.  What!  a Father  so  good,  and  children  so 
miserable ! We  should  not  dare  to  appear 
before  Him,  much  less  to  approach  Him! 
Knowing  only  His  goodness,  as  we  now  do, 
we  go  to  Him  without  fear. 

Now  all  go  to  Him.  Suppose  Our  Lord 
manifested  Himself  only  to  the  good,  since, 


126 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


resuscitated,  He  cannot  show  Himself  to  sin- 
ners, who  would  dare  believe  himself  good  ? 
Who  would  not  fear  to  enter  a church  through 
the  dread  of  not  being  good  enough  for  Jesus 
Christ  to  show  Himself  to  him?  And,  then, 
what  jealousy  1 Only  the  proud  would  venture 
to  approach  Our  Lord.  But  as  it  is  now  all 
have  equal  rights,  all  may  believe  themselves 
loved. 


HI 


[P^IUt,  perhaps,  the  sight  of  His  glory 
would  convert  us! 

No,  no!  Glory  does  not  convert.  The  Jews 
became  idolaters  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Sinai, 
despite  its  flames ; the  Apostles  on  Thabor 
talked  nonsense. 

Glory  affrights  and  puffs  up ; it  does  not 
convert.  The  Jewish  people  dared  not  approach 
Moses,  because  his  face  was  shining  with 
divine  light.  « No,  Lord,  remain  veiled,  for 
that  is  much  better.  I can  draw  near  Thee  and 


trust  that  Thou  lovest  me,  since  Thou  dost  not 
repulse  me!  » 

But  would  not  His  powerful  word  convert 
us  ? 

For  three  whole  years  the  Jews  listened  to 


THE  VEILED  EUCHARIST. 


127 


Our  Lord,  but  were  they  converted  ? Very 
few  of  them  attached  themselves  to  Him. 
It  is  not  the  human  word  of  Our  Lord,  not  the 
word  that  strikes  the  ear,  that  converts,  but 
the  word  of  His  grace.  Now,  Our  Lord  in 
the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  speaks  to  the 
heart,  and  that  ought  to  suffice  for  us,  since 
that  is  the  word  of  truth. 

IV 

Ijg^iUT.  at  least,  if  I could  feel  the  Heart 
of  Our  Lord,  if  1 could  feel  some  of  Its 
burning  flames,  I should  love  Him  much  more. 
They  would  change  my  heart  and  inflame  it 
with  love. 

Let  us  not  confound  love  with  sentiment. 
When  we  ask  Our  Lord  to  be  allowed  to  love 
Him,  we  desire  that  He  should  make  us  feel 
that  we  do  so,  but  it  would  be  a great  mis- 
fortune for  us  did  He  grant  our  prayer.  No! 
Love  is  sacrifice,  the  gift  of  our  will,  its  sub- 
mission to  the  will  of  God. 

Now,  what  springs  from  the  contemplation 
of  the  Eucharist  and  from  Communion,  which 
is  perfect  union  with  Jesus,  is  strength.  Sweet- 
ness is  passing,  but  strength  remains.  And 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


I 28 


of  what  have  we  need  against  ourselves  and 
the  world  but  of  strength  ? Strength  is  peace. 

Do  you  not  feel  at  peace  before  Our  Lord? 
That  is  a proof  that  you  love  Him,  and  what  ' 
more  do  you  want? 

When  two  friends  spend  their  time  looking 
at  each  other,  and  saying  how  much  they  love  1 
each  other,  they  are  wasting  their  time.  Such 
declarations  do  not  increase  their  love.  But 
separate  them  for  awhile,  and  they  think  of  ^ 
each  other,  they  retrace  In  imagination  each  i 
other’s  features,  they  long  for  each  other. 

It  is  the  same  with  Our  Lord.  For  three 
years  the  Apostles  lived  with  Him,  but  what 
did  they  do  ? 

He  hides  Himself  from  us  that  we  may  pon-  , 
der  on  His  goodness  and  virtues,  that  our  love  | 
may  become  earnest  and  independent  of  the  . 
senses,  satisfied  with  the  strength  and  peace  \ 
of  God.  ; 

V i 


Et  us  conclude.  It  is  well  that  the  Sav- 
iour is  there  under  the  veils  of  the  Sac- 
rament. He  deprives  us  of  the  sight  of  His 
Person  that  we  may  abide  in  His  love,  in  His 


THE  VEILED  EUCHARIST. 


129 


adorable  Personality.  If  He  revealed  Himself, 
if  He  showed  us  even  a ray  of  His  glory,  one 
feature  of  His  adorable  countenance,  we  should 
abandon  Him. 

But  He  Himself  has  told  us  that  His  Body 
is  not  our  end.  It  is  but  a ladder  by  which 
to  mount  to  His  Soul,  to  His  Divinity.  We 
have  His  love  to  conduct  us  thereto. 

Our  faith  receives  absolute  certainty  of  the 
strength  of  our  love.  When  our  senses  are  in 
silence,  our  soul  enters  into  communication 
with  Jesus  Christ,  and  as  Jesus  Christ  is  hap- 
piness, rest,  and  peace,  the  more  intimately 
we  are  united  t o Jesus,  the  greater  will  be  our 
bliss.  |t::; 


^ '4+' ^ ^ '4^ '4^ 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  FAITH. 


Hoc  est  opus'Dei  ut  creda- 
tis  in  eum. 


This  is  the  work  of  God 
that  you  believe  in  Him  whom 
He  hath  sent. 

(John  vi,  29.) 


Ur  Lord  desires  us  to  recall  < 
what  He  did  for  us  while  on 
this  earth,  and  that  we  honor 
His  Presence  in  the  Most  Bless- 
ed Sacrament  by  the  med-  ; 
itation  of  all  the  mysteries 

of  His  life. 

That  we  may  more  vividly  recall  the  mys- 
tery of  the  Last  Supper,  He  gave  us  not  only 
the  Evangelists’  account  of  it,  but  a living, 
personal  memorial  of  it,  namely.  Himself,  His 
adorable  Person. 

But  although  Our  Lord  is  in  the  midst  of  us,  j 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST.  131 

we  cannot  see  Him,  nor  picture  Him  to  our- 
selves as  He  is  in  the  Eucharist. 

Despite  this,  He  has  often  appeared.  Why 
has  He  not  permitted  us  to  preserve  pictures 
of  these  august  apparitions? 

Ah!  Our  Lord  knows  well  that  all  such 
pictures  would,  in  fact,  serve  only  to  make  us 
forget  the  reality  of  His  actual  Presence  under 
the  sacred  veils  of  the  Eucharist. 

But  if  I should  see  Him,  would  I have 
more  faith  ? Is  it  not  true  that  what  is  seen,  is 
not  more  loved? 

Yes,  the  senses  might  confirm  my  wavering 
faith.  But  our  risen  Lord  does  not  wish  our 
depraved  senses  to  act  upon  Him.  He  calls 
for  pure  faith. 

He  does  not  consist  of  Body  alone,  but  of 
Soul,  also.  He  wishes  that  we  should  with 
mind  and  heart  penetrate  His  Soul.  We  are 
not  to  discover  Him  by  means  of  the  senses. 

Again,  Our  Lord,  although  truly  present  in 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  Body  and  Soul,  is  there 
in  the  manner  of  spirits.  Spirits  cannot  be 
analyzed  and  dissected,  consequently,  the  senses 
cannot  act  upon  them. 


132 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


II 

Ith  what  do  we  find  fault?  Our  Lord 
has  known  how  to  reconcile  all  things. 
Sacred  Species  do  not  touch  Him,  they 
are  not  a part  of  Himself,  although  inseparably 
united  to  His  Person.  They  are  the  condition 
of  His  Presence,  they  tell  us  where  He  is,  they 
localize  Him.  Our  Lord  could  have  taken  a 
manner  of  existence  purely  spiritual,  but  then 
how  should  we  find  Him?  Where  should  we 
look  for  Him? 

Let  us  thank  our  good  Saviour!  He  is  not 
hidden.  He  is  only  veiled.  We  know  not 
where  a hidden  thing  is;  it  is  as  if  it  did  not 
exist.  But  a veiled  object  we  possess,  we  are 
sure  of  it  even  without  seeing  it. 

To  know  that  we  have  our  friend  at  our 
side,  that  he  is  there,  — is  not  that  a great 
deal?  Ah,  well!  we  can  see  where  Our  Lord 
is.  We  look  upon  the  Host,  and  we  are  sure 
that  Hie  is  in  It. 

HI 

Ur  Lord  veils  Himself  for  our  good, 
for  our  best  interest,  in  order  to  force 
us  to  study  His  Soul,  His  intentions.  His  virtues 


The 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  FAITH. 


133 


in  Himself.  If  vve  really  saw  Him,  we  should 
pause  t o admire  His  external  beauty,  we  should 
entertain  for  Him  only  sentiments  of  ordinary 
love;  but  He  wishes  us  to  love  Him  with  a love 
of  sacrifice. 

Truly,  it  costs  Our  Lord  something  thus  to 
veil  Himself.  He  would  rather  show  us  His 
divine  features,  for  they  would  draw  all  hearts 
to  Him.  But  He  veils  Himself  for  our  good. 

The  mind  then  exercises  itself  upon  the 
Eucharist,  and  faith  is  quickened.  We  pene- 
trate Our  Lord,  as  it  were. 

Instead  of  showing  Himself  to  our  bodily 
eyes,  He  discovers  Himself  to  our  soul.  He 
makes  Himself  known  in  us  by  His  own  light. 
He  enlightens  us,  and  He  Himself  is  the 
object  which  we  ought  to  contemplate.  He 
is  both  the  object  and  the  means  of  our  faith. 

In  this  mystery,  he  who  loves  more,  he  who 
is  more  pure,  sees  more  clearly.  Our  Lord  has 
said:  « He  that  loveth  Me,  and  Jceepeth  My 
commandments,  1 will  manifest  Myself  to  him.  » 

Our  Lord  gives  to  souls  of  prayer  very 
great  light  upon  Himself,  and  it  never  deceives 
them. 

He  varies  His  light.  Sometimes  He  directs 
it  upon  one  point  of  His  life,  sometimes  upon 


134 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


another;  and  as  the  Eucharist  is  the  glorifica- 
tion of  all  mysteries,  Jesus  Christ  Himself 
becomes  our  meditation,  no  matter  what  its 
subject. 

IV 

T is,  besides,  much  more  easy  to  meditate 
KiSl  in  presence  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
than  in  one’s  own  room. 

In  our  own  room,  we  are,  indeed,  in  the 
presence  of  God,  who  fills  the  universe  by 
His  immensity;  but  in  the  church,  we  are  in 
the  presence  of  Our  Lord,  who  is  very  near  to 
us. 

As  the  heart  follows  the  mind,  the  affections 
depend  on  knowledge,  it  becomes  more  easy 
to  love  in  the  presence  of  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament.  Our  love  is  then  real,  since  it 
rests  upon  Jesus  who  is  living  before  our  eyes, 
and  renewing  all  His  mysteries  in  the  Eu- 
charist. 

He  who  meditates  on  those  mysteries  in 
themselves  without  vivifying  them  by  the  Eu- 
charist, always  finds  a void,  experiences  some 
regret  in  spite  of  himself.  « Why  was  I not 
there!  » he  involuntarily  exclaims. 

But  in  presence  of  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra- 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  FAITH. 


135 


merit,  what  is  there  to  regret,  what  to,  desire? 
All  the  mysteries  are  still  going  on  in  Jesus 
present.  Our  love  is  in  the  actual  enjoyment 
of  them.  Whether  we  think  of  the  mortal  life  or 
the  glorified  life  of  Jesus,  we  know  that  Jesus 
Christ,  Body,  Soul,  and  Divinity,  is  there  in 
the  Sacred  Host. 

Let  us  ponder  these  thoughts.  Let  us  picture 
to  our  imagination  the  mysteries  upon  which 
we  wish  to  dwiell,  but  let  us  confirm  and 
enliven  the  remembrance  by  the  Presence  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

Let  us,  then,  recall  that  Our  Lord  is  in  the 
Sacred  Host,  He  Himself,  in  all  the  states  of 
His  mortal  life.  He  who  ignores  this  is  in  the 
dark,  his  faith  is  languishing,  and  it  does  not 
make  him  happy. 

O that  we  had  the  activity,  the  delicacy 
that  faith  gives!  That  makes  real  happiness. 
Our  Lord  wishes  tO'  make  us  happy  Himself. 
All  men  taken  together  are  incapable  of  pro- 
ducing such  an  effect.  Even  piety  by  itself 
cannot  make  us  happy.  Piety  must  be  nour- 
ished by  the  Eucharist,  for  happiness  comes 
only  from  the  possession  of  God,  and  the  Eu- 
charist is  God  all  in  all  to  us  I 


10 


The  Divine  Eucharist. 


The  LOVE  of  JESUS  in  the  HOLY 
^ ^ 

, EUCHARIST.  , 


^ ^ ^ zAx  jAL  2^ 


Nos  credidimus  chatitati  We  have  known  and  have 
quam  habet  Dens  iu  nobi^-  believed  the  charity,  which 

God  hath  to  us. 

(I  John  iv,  i6.) 

E Believe  in  the  Love  of 
God  for  Us.  — Word  of 
deep  signification! 

Faith  in  the  truth  of  the 
divine  words  and  promises  is 
exacted  of  every  Christian. 
That  is  simply  faith.  But  the  faith  of  love  is 
higher  and  more  perfect.  It  is  the  crown  of 
the  first. 

Faith  in  truth  would  be  sterile,  if  it  did  not 
lead  to  faith  in  love. 

What  is  that  love  in  which  we  ought  to 
believe  ? 

It  is  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  love  which 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


137 


He  testifies  to  us  in  the  Eucharist,  the  love 
which  is  Himself,  living  and  infinite  love. 

Happy  they  who  believe  in  the  love  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  the  Eucharist!  They  love,  for  to 
believe  is  to  love. 

They  who  are  satisfied  with  believing  in 
the  truth  of  the  Eucharist,  love  not  at  all,  or 
love  very  little.  But  what  proofs  of  His  love 
has  Our  Lord  given  in  the  Eucharist? 


N the  first  place.  Our  Lord  has  given  us 
His  word  to  that  effect.  He  tells  us  that 
He  loves  us,  that  He  has  instituted  His  Sacra- 
ment only  for  love  of  us.  Thien,  it  is  true. 

We  believe  an  honorable  man  on  his  word. 
Why  should  we  put  less  faith  in  that  of  Our 
Lord  ? 

When  a friend  desires  to  prove  to  his  friend 
that  he  loves  him,  he  tells  him  so,  and  he 
presses  his  hand  affectionately. 

When  Our  Lord  wants  to  show  His  love 
for  us.  He  does  so  in  person,  discarding  the 
intervention  of  any  third  person,  whether  an- 
gelic or  human.  Love  suffers  no  intermediate 
agents. 


138 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


He  remains  in  the  Holy  Eucharist  that  He 
may  repeat  to  us  incessantly:  « I love  you! 
You  must  see  that  I love  you!  » 

Our  Lord  was  so  afraid  that  we  would 
eventually  forget  Him  that  He  took  up  His 
abode  in  the  midst  of  us,  made  His  home 
among  us,  placed  His  service  within  our  reach, 
so  that  we  might  not  be  able  to  think  of  Him 
without  calling  to  mind  His  love.  Giving  Him- 
self thus,  He  hoped,  perhaps,  not  to  be  for- 
gotten by  men.  y 

Whoever  reflects  seriously  on  the  Eucharist, 
but,  above  all,  whoever  participates  in  It,  must 
feel  convinced  that  Our  Lord  loves  him.  He 
feels  that  he  has  in  Him  a Father.  He  feels 
that  he  is  loved  as  a child.  He  feels  that  he 
has  the  right  to  go  to  Him  as  to  a Father, 
and  to  speak  freely  with  Him.  When  in 
church,  at  the  foot  of  the  tabernacle,  he  is  at 
home  with  his  Father.  He  feels  it. 

Ah!  I understand  why  the  Faithful  love 
to  live  near  churches,  under  the  shadow  of  the 
paternal  home. 

Thus  Jesus  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament 
tells  us  that  He  loves  us.  He  repeats  it  to  us 
interiorly,  and  makes  us  feel  it.  Let  us  be- 
lieve in  His  love. 


THE  LOVE  OF  JESUS. 


139 


II 

Oes  Jesus  love  us  personally,  individ- 

To  this  question  there  is  but  one  answer: 
Do  we  belong-  to  the  Christian  family?  In 
a family,  do  not  the  father  and  the  mother  love 
each  child  with  equal  love?  And  if  they  had 
some  preference,  would  it  not  be  for  the  most 
delicate  or  infirm? 

Our  Lord  has  for  us  the  sentiment,  at  least, 
of  a good  Father. 

Why  do  we  refuse  Him  that  character? 

But  still  more,  see  how  Our  Lord  exercises 
toward  each  one  of  us  His  personal  love.  He 
comes  every  morning  to  see  each  of  His  chil- 
dren in  particular,  tO'  visit  him,  speak  to  him, 
embrace  him.  Although  He  comes  so  often. 
His  visit  is  always  as  gracious,  as  loving  as 
if  it  were  the  very  first.  He  has  not  grown 
old.  He  is  never  tired  of  loving  us,  and  of 
giving  Himself  to  each  of  us. 

Does  He  not  give  Himself  whole  and  entire 
to  each  one?  And  if  the  communicants  are 
more  numerous  than  the  Hosts,  does  He  not 
divide  Himself  for  them?  Does  He  ever  give 
less  to  any  one? 


140 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Even  if  the  church  is  filled  with  adorers,  can 
not  each  one  of  us  pray  to  Jesus,  converse 
with  Him?  And  is  he  not  heard,  is  he  not 
answered  as  favorably,  as  if  he  were  alone 
in  the  church? 

Such  is  the  personal  love  of  Jesus..  Every 
one  receives  Him  entire,  and  does  no  wrong"  to 
any  one.  As  the  sun  sheds  its  light  on  each 
and  all,  as  the  ocean  belongs  entirely  to  each 
and  all  the  fishes,  so  does  Jesus  belong  to  all 
of  us.  He  is  greater  than  all.  He  is  inex- 
haustible. 


Ill 

Nother  undeniable  proof  of  the  love  of 
Our  Lord,  is  the  persistence  of  that  love 
in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament. 

How  touching  is  this  thought  to  the  soul 
that  understands!  Numberless  Masses  are  daily 
celebrated  all  over  the  world.  They  succeed 
one  another  almost  without  interruption.  And 
how  many  of  these  Masses,  in  which  Jesus 
offers  Himself  for  us,  are  unattended,  how 
many  without  assistants!  While,  on  this  new 
Calvary,  Jesus  is  crying  for  mercy,  sinners  are 
outraging  God  and  His  Christ. 


THE  LOVE  OF  JESUS. 


ir- 


141 


Why  does  Our  Lord  renew  His  sacrifice  so 
often,  since  we  do  not  profit  by  it? 

Why  does  He  remain  day  and  night  on  our 
altars,  to  which  no  one  comes  to  receive  the 
graces  that  He  is  offering  with  full  hands  ? 

Because  He  is  loving,  He  is  hoping,  He  is 
expecting!  If  Jesus  came  on  our  altars  only 
on  certain  days.  He  would  fear  that  some 
sinner,  impelled  by  a desire  to  return  to  Him, 
might  come  seeking  Him  and,  not  finding 
Him,  would  go  away  without  waiting  for  Him. 
So,  He  prefers  to  await  the  sinner  long  years 
Himself  rather  than  make  him  wait  an  instant, 
rather  than  discourage  him,  perhaps,  when  he 
wants  to  escape  from  the  slavery  of  sin. 

O how  few  have  even  a remote  idea  of  the 
love  of  Jesus  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament! 
And,  nevertheless,  it  is  true!  O we  have  no 
faith  in  the  love  of  Jesus!  Would  we  treat  a 
friend,  would  we  treat  any  man,  as  we  do  Our 
Lord? 


Pracdicamus  Christum^ 
Judaeis  quidem  scandalum, 
gentihus  autem  stultitiam. 


We  preach  Christ  crucified, 
unto  the  Jews  indeed  a stum- 
hling-block,  and  unto  the 
Gentiles,  foolishness. 

(I  Cor.  I,  23.) 


HAT  do  the  Eucharistic  hu- 
miliations of  Our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  proclaim? 

To  remain  with  us,  Jesus 
Christ  exposes  Himself  to  in- 
gratitude and  outrage.  Noth- 
ing discourages  Him. 

Let  us  contemplate  this  good  Saviour  treated 
as  we  would  treat  none  other,  and  yet  persisting 
in  abiding  with  us. 


I 


Ur  Lord,  who  comes  to  us  and  brings 
us  treasures  of  infinite  grace,  well  de- 


serves our  gratitude. 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


143 


He  is  King  over  all  creation.  He  is  God! 
Let  a great  one  of  this  earth,  let  a king  visit 
a poor  man,  a sick  man,  would  not  the  latter 
be  moved  to  gratitude  at  such  condescension? 

Envy,  yea,  even  hatred,  gives  way  before 
greatness  abasing  itself. 

Does  not  Our  Lord  deserve  that  we  should 
thank  Him,  love  Him?  He  visits  us  not  in 
passing;  He  abides  in  the  midst  of  us. 
Whether  we  ask  it  or  not,  without  even  our 
desiring  it,  there  He  remains  to  do  us  good. 
And  yet  He  alone  of  all  others  is  not  thanked 
for  the  good  that  He  does.  By  His  Presence  in 
the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament,  He  operates  mar- 
vels of  charity.  But  we  do  not  appreciate 
them;  we  pay  no  regard  to  them. 

In  the  ordinary  affairs  of  this  life,  it  is  con- 
sidered shameful  tO'  be  an  ingrate;  but  when 
Our  Lord  is  conoerne/d,  it  would  seem  as  if  we 
considered  it  one  of  the  Commandments  to 
show  ingratitude. 

Yet  all  this  does  not  discourage  Our  Lord. 
He  foresaw  it  all  when  He  instituted  the 
Eucharist. 

He  has  but  one  thought : « Deliciae  meae.  — 
My  delights  are  to  be  with  the  children  of  the 
miserable.  » 


144 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Love  sometimes  reaches  such  a degree,  be- 
comes so  powerful,  that  it  longs  to  be  with 
the  beloved,  even  without  getting  any  return. 

Can  a good  mother  abandon  or  cease  to 
love  her  idiot  child?  a devoted  wife,  her  raving 
husband  ? 

II 

Ur  Lord  appears  to  go  forward  to  meet 
outrages.  He  has  no  care  for  His  honor, 
frightful  to  think  of  it  I Ah ! on  the  Day 
of  Judgment,  how  some  will  tremble  for  having 
lived  wdth  so  much  love  on  His  side,  and  so 
little  regard  on  theirs! 

Our  Lord  comes  without  pomp  or  majesty. 
On  the  altar,  under  the  Eucharistic  veils.  He 
has  the  air  of  one  who  no  longer  has  even  a 
being. 

Is  this  sufficient  abasement? 

Thus  to  abase  Himself,  Our  Lord  employs 
all  His  power.  By  a prodigy  He  sustains 
these  accidents.  He  overturns  all  the  law^s 
of  nature  in  order  to  humble  Himself.  Who 
could  envelop  the  sun  with  a cloud  sufficiently 
dense  to  intercept  its  light  and  heat?  That 
would  be  the  greatest  of  miracles.  But  Our 


It  is 


I HE  EXCESS  OF  LOVE. 


145 


Lord  did  so  in  His  Own  Person.  Under  the 
Eucharistic  Species,  which  in  themselves  are 
so  insignificant,  so  ordinary.  He,  glorious  and 
luminous,  is  hidden.  He  is  God! 

O do  not  let  us  put  Our  Lord  to  shame, 
because  He  is  so  humiliated,  so  little! 

It  is  His  love  that  has  willed  it.  A king 
who  does  not  descend,  may  honor,  but  he  does 
not  love.  Our  Lord  descends,  consequently. 
He  loves. 


HI 


^ Ut  Our  Lord  might  have  in  His  suite,  a 
fSi\  cortege  of  angels  visible  and  armed  as 
a guard.  He  does  not  wish  it.  Such  angelic 
armies  would  affright  us  or  humble  us  at  the 
sight  of  their  faith,  their  reverence.  Our  Lord 
comes  alone  and  abandoned  that  He  may 
abase  Himself  still  more.  Love  descends,  ever 
descends ! 


IV 


King  that  would  clothe  himself  in  poor 
garments  in  order  to  put  himself  in  the 
reach  of  a subject  whom  he  was  going  to 
comfort  or  console,  would  surely  betray  much 
love.  And  yet,  under  such  a disguise  his 


146 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


speech,  his  noble  and  distinguished  manners, 
would  make  him  known. 

In  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  Our  Lord 
refuses  even  this  personal  glory. 

He  veils  His  beautiful  countenance.  He 
imposes  silence  on  His  divine  lips,  on  the 
mouth  of  the  Word. 

Did  He  do  otherwise,  it  would  be  too  much 
honor  for  Him;  it  would  place  Him  too  far 
above  us.  He  wishes  to  descend  even  to  us. 

O let  us  respect  the  humiliations  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  the  Eucharist ! 

V 

King,  abased  by  love  to  the  level  of  his 
poor  subject,  still  preserves  his  liberty, 
his  personal  action  as  a man.  If  attacked,  he 
can  defend  himself,  save  his  life,  call  for  help. 

Our  Lord  delivers  Himself  up  defenceless. 
He  can  neither  complain  nor  save  Himself 
nor  call  for  help. 

He  has  forbidden  His  angels  to  help  Him  or 
to  punish  those  that  insult  Him,  although  it  is 
an  instinct  of  nature  to  succor  another,  no  mat- 
ter who  he  may  be,  who  is  attacked  or  in  dan- 
ger. But  Our  Lord?  No  I no  one  will  help 


THE  EXCESS  OF  LOVE. 


147 


Him.  He  is  Man,  He  is  God.  He  retains, 
nevertheless,  only  the  power  to  love  and  to 
abase  Himself. 


VI 

]Ut,  Lord,  why?  why  this  excess?  — 
) « I love  them,  I behold  them,  I am  wait- 
ing for  them.  I am  going  to  them.  Delicice 
mece.  — My  delights  are  to  be  with  the  miser- 
able. » 

And  yet,  they  court  pleasure,  ambition, 
friends,  occupations,  everything  before  Our 
Lord.  * 

He  is  the  last  of  all.  Let  Him  come  as  Viat- 
icum, if  they  have  the  time  for  Him.  Is  not 
that  enough? 

O Lord,  why  come  to  them  who  do  not  wish 
Thee?  Why  dost  Thou  insist  on  abiding  with 
them  who  repulse  Thee? 

VH 

Ho  would  consent  to  do  what  Our  Lord 
does? 

instituted  His  Sacrament  that  in  It  we 
should  honor  Him,  but  alas!  He  receives  there- 
in more  injury  than  glory.  The  number  of 


148 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


bad  Christians  is  greater  than  that  of  faithful 
ones. 

Our  Lord  goes  on  losing. 

Why  does  He  continue  this  communica- 
tion with  men?  Who  would  carry  on  a busi- 
ness in  which  there  is  only  pure  loss? 

Ah ! the  saints,  who  look  on,  who  under- 
stand so  much  love  and  so  much  abasement, 
must  tremble  with  holy  wrath,  must  be  indig- 
nant at  seeing  us  so  little  appreciative. 

And  the  Father  says  to  the  Son:  « Make 
an  end  of  it!  It  is  profiting  Thee  nothing. 
Thy  love  is  despised,  Thy  humiliations  useless. 
Thou  art  losing.  Make  an  end  of  it ! » 

But  Our  Lord  does  not  wish  to  do  so.  He 
remains  with  us.  He  is  still  hoping.  He  is 
satisfied  with  the  love  and  adoration  of  a few 
good  souls. 

O let  us  not  fail  Him,  at  least! 

Do  not  His  humiliations  deserve  that  we 
should  love  and  honor  Him? 


Non  relinquam  vos  orpha-  I I will  not  leave  you  or- 
nos.  I phans.  (John  xiv,  i8.) 

He  Imitation  tells  us  that  when 
Jesus  is  present,  all  is  well, 
but  when  He  is  absent,  every- 
thing is  hard. 

What  would  we  be,  if  the 
Saviour  had  been  satisfied  to 
live  only  His  mortal  life? 

Without  doubt,  that  would  in  itself  have  been 
a great  mercy,  and  would  have  been  suffi- 
cient to  merit  for  us  salvation  and  eternal 
glory ; but  it  would  not  have  prevented  us  from 
being  the  most  unhappy  of  men.  And  why? 
With  the  grace,  the  word  of  Jesus,  His  ex- 
amples, the  great  testimonies  of  His  Love?  — 
Yes,  with  all  that,  we  should  have  been  the 
most  unhappy  of  men. 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


150 


[P^^Ehold  a family  grouped  around  a good 
father.  How  happy  they  are!  But  its 
head  is  snatched  away.  Tears  take  the  place 
of  joy  and  happiness.  It  is  no  longer  a family, 
for  it  has  no  father. 

Now,  Jesus  came  upon  earth  to  form  a family. 
His  children  will  be,  as  the  Prophet  says,  like 
olive  plants,  joyful  round  about  His  table.  But 
should  our  Head  disappear,  the  family  will  be 
dispersed. 

Without  Our  Lord,  we  should  be  like  the 
Apostles  during  His  Passion,  wandering,  and 
knowing  not  what  to  think.  And  yet  they 
were  not  far  from  Our  Lord.  They  had  re- 
ceived everything  from  Him,  they  had  seen 
His  miracles,  and  His  life  had  passed  away 
before  their  eyes.  That  is  true,  but  they  wanted 
their  Father.  They  were  no  longer  one  family, 
they  were  no  longer  brethren.  Every  one 
went  about  his  own  affairs. 

What  society  can  subsist  without  a head? 

The  Eucharist  is,  then,  the  bond  of  union 
of  the  Christian  family.  Take  It  away,  and 
fraternity  exists  no  longer. 

Have  Protestants,  who  no  longer  possess 


THE  EUCHARIST  AND  THE  FAMILY.  151 


the  Eucharist  — have  they  Christian  fraternity  ? 
They  are  strangers  tO'  one  another.  Even 
when  united  in  their  temples,  they  do  not  make 
one  family.  Every  one  is  free  to  think  and 
speak  as  he  understands.  Their  temples  are 
only  large  halls.  Do  they  invite  to  prayer? 

Are  Catholics  who  do  not  frequent  the 
Eucharist  still  brethren?  We  cannot  say  so. 
And  in  families  in  which  the  father  or  the 
brothers  do  not  communicate,  the  spirit  of 
union  is  not  seen,  the  mother  is  a martyr,  and 
the  sisters  are  persecuted.  No,  no  ! Without 
the  Eucharist  there  is  no  family. 

But  if  Jesus  reappears,  the  family  is  reunited. 
Behold  the  great  family  of  the  Church  I They 
have  their  feasts,  and  they  understand  them. 
They  have  the  feasts  of  the  Father  of  the  fam- 
ily, of  the  Mother,  of  the  saints,  our  brethren. 
These  feasts  have  a reason  for  their  existence. 

Oh,  Jesus  knew  well  that,  as  long  as  the 
Christian  family  should  exist.  He  would  have 
to  be  its  Father,  its  centre,  its  pleasure,  its  joy, 
its  happiness! 

When  we  meet,  we  can  also  salute  one 
another  fraternally.  We  go  out  from  the  same 
Table.  The  Apostles  instinctively  called  the 
first  Christians  their  brethren. 

n 


The  Divine  Eucharist. 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


152 


The  demon  knows  well  that,  by  removing 
souls  from  the  Eucharist,  he  destroys  the 
Christian  family,  and  we  become  egoists;  for 
there  are  only  two  loves,  either  the  love  of 
God  or  the  love  of  self.  We  must  give  our- 
selves to  the  one  or  to  the  other. 

II 

E find  our  protection,  our  safeguard  in 
the  presence  of  Our  Lord.  Jesus  has 
said:  « Do  not  defend  yourself.  If  they  insult 
you,  pardon.  If  they  take  from  you  your 
mantle,  give  them  your  tunic,  also. » Jesus 
seems  to  give  us  here  below  as  Christians  only 
one  right,  namely,  the  right  to  the  persecution 
and  malediction  of  men. 

Now,  if  they  should  take  away  from  us 
the  Eucharist,  where  should  we  go  to  draw 
strength  to  follow  such  teaching  ? 

Life  would  no  longer  be  supportable.  Jesus 
would  have  condemned  us  to  intolerable  servi- 
tude., What  king  abandons  his  people  after 
having  engaged  them  in  a bloody  war? 

We  have  the  hope  of  heaven,  it  is  true. 
But  how  far  off  is  our  reward!  What!  We 
still  have  twenty,  forty  years  to  live  on  this 


THE  EUCHARIST  AND  THE  FAMILY.  I 53 


earth  of  misery,  and  during  that  time  we  shall 
have  to  live  in  the  hope  of  what  is  so  far  off? 

But  our  heart  has  need  of  consolation.  It 
has  the  need  of  pouring  itself  out  into  the 
bosom  of  a friend.  t 

We  are  forbidden  to  seek  our  consolation  in 
the  world.  Whither,  then,  or  to  whom  shall 
we  go?  He  who  has  no  faith  in  the  Eucharist 
replies : « I will  abandon  my  religion,  and  I 
will  embrace  another  which  will  leave  me 
free. » That  is  logic.  We  cannot  always  en- 
dure trials  wTth  never  any  consolation.  It  is 
impossible  to  live  without  Jesus. 

In  His  Sacrament  we  shall  find  Friend, 
Guide,  Father.  The  child  who  runs  to  receive 
a kiss  from  its  mother,  is  not  more  happy  than 
the  faithful  soul  who  converses  with  Jesus. 

I cannot  understand  how  they  who  suffer 
have  not  a great  devotion  toward  the  Eucha- 
rist. They  that  have  not  such  devotion,  gener- 
ally end  in  despair.  I am  not  surprised  at  that, 
for  even  St.  Paul,  though  inundated  with  so 
many  graces,  found  life  heavy  and  wearisome. 

Oh,  without  the  presence  of  Him  who  says 
to  the  passions : « Ye  shall  mount  no  higher  1 
Ye  shall  not  invade  the  head  and  the  heart  of 
this  man,  » we  become  fools ! 


154 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


How  good  Jesus  has  been  in  perpetuating 
Himself  in  the  Eucharist! 

Ill 

KjEsus’  presence  alone  diminishes  the  de- 
mons’ power,  prevents  their  exercising 
dominion  as  they  did  before  the  Incarnation. 
Since  the  coming  of  the  Saviour  there  have 
been  comparatively  few  cases  of  demoniacal 
possession.  Infidel  countries  have  many  more 
than  ours,  and  the  reign  of  Satan  diminishes  as 
faith  in  the  Eucharist  increases. 

And  your  temptations,  sometimes  so  terrible, 
so  frightful,  are  they  not  frequently  subdued 
as  soon  as  you  enter  a church,  as  soon  as 
you  enter  into  communication  with  Jesus  in  the 
Eucharist?  It  is  always  He,  understand  it  well, 
who  commands  the  tempests. 

Jesus  is,  then,  with  us,  and  as  long  as  there 
shall  be  one  adorer  on  earth,  Jesus  will  be 
with  him  to  protect  him. 

Behold  the  secret  of  the  long  life  of  the 
Church.  Does  any  one  fear  the  enemies  of 
the  Church?  — It  is  a want  of  faith! 

But  we  must  honor  and  serve  Our  Lord  in 
His  Sacrament.  How  would  the  father  of  a 


THE  EUCHARIST  AND  THE  FAMILY.  T55 


family  feel,  were  he  despised  and  insulted  by 
his  household?  He  would  be  ang^ered  against 
them. 

Let  us  take  good  care  of  Jesus,  and  we  shall 
have  nothing  to  fear. 

If  we  love  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist,  if  we  re- 
pent of  our  faults  when  we  have  given  Him 
pain,  He  will  not  abandon  us. 

The  essential  point  is  for  us  not  to  abandon 
Him  first.  He  must  always  be  able  to  say: 
« I have  one  with  Me ! » 

And  when  the  strong-armed  occupies  his 
house,  the  family  is  in  peace. 


1 

S' 

S' 


^^4^  ^^4^  '^4^  ^^4^  ^^4^  ^4^  ^^4^  ^^4^ 


THE  FAMILY  FEAST. 


i 


i I' 


4 

i 


Pater  nosier^  panem  nos-  I Our  Father,  give  us  this  day 
truvi  da  nobis  hodic  ! our  dail3’  bread  ! 

1 (Matt,  vi,  9.) 

E have  a Father  in  heaven, 
and  it  is  to  Him  that  this 
prayer  is  directly  addressed. 
But  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
has  brought  us  forth  to  grace, 
to  the  supernatural  life,  and 
thereby  merited  the  title  of  Father.  The  Heav- 
enly Father  dwells  in  glory,  Jesus  dwells  in 
this  church.  He  is  our  Father  on  earth,  and 
He  desires  to  fulfil  all  the  duties  of  a good  j 
Father  to  His  children. 


(This  discourse  was  delivered  by  Pere  Eymard  at  the 
opening  of  the  « Forty  Hours  » in  an  orphan  asylum.) 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


^57 


Father  stays  with  his  family.  He  is 
Bj!§Ml'  its  centre,  its  pivot.  All  its  members 
are  under  his  care  and  they  act  by  his  direc- 
tion. He  is  the  chief,  the  head.  He  has  the 
highest  authority,  even  over  the  mother,  to 
whom  belongs  in  a special  manner  the  duties 
of  tenderness.  Now,  Jesus  Christ,  our  Father, 
has  His  house,  and  that  is  the  Church.  You 
are  His  family.  His  privileged  family.  In  a 
family,  there  are  children  who  work  out  doors, 
and  there  are  others  who  stay  with  their  father, 
under  his  eyes.  You  are  these  happy  children. 
Ah!  without  Our  Lord,  who  is  our  Father, 
this  pious  house,  which  so  well  represents  a 
i family,  would  be  but  a reunion  of  prisoners  or 
i laborers  bowed  down  under  joyless  toil.  There 
I would  be  no  centre,  no  fireside  of  affection, 

1 which  is  the  Tabernacle  of  this  chapel.  Think 
I often,  as  you  work,  of  this  good  Father  always 
present  among  you,  protecting  you,  looking 
upon  you  with  an  eye  of  kindness,  for  good- 
mess  is  the  grand  characteristic  of  our  Divine 
Father!  He  does  not  know  how  to  refuse 
anything.  He  is  always  ready  to  welcome 
jyou,  and  you  will  always  have  Him  with  you. 


158 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Your  parents  are  dead.  They  have  left  you 
only  lifelong  tears  and  regrets.  But  Jesus 
never  dies,  and  He  will  never  abandon  you. 

Be  assured,  without  doubt,  that  you  are  of 
great  worth,  since  you  have  received  Baptism 
and  are  the  children  of  the  Church.  What 
value  does  the  world  set  on  you  ? Does  it  even 
know  that  you  are  here  ? Does  it  concern 
itself  about  your  wants  ? But  Our  Lx)rd  in- 
spired some  souls  devoted  to  Him  with  the 
thought  of  gathering  you  together  in  this 
house.  He  is  come  Himself  to  pitch  His  tent 
among  you  that  you  may  see  Him  always,  and 
He  loves  you  so  much  more  as  you  are  more 
helpless  and  forgotten.  You  listen  to  His 
word,  not  the  word  which  strikes  on  the 
ear,  but  that  which  touches  the  heart  and  gives 
it  joy  and  peace.  Ah,  if  you  have  faith  in  these 
things!,  if  you  understand  your  happiness,  guard 
it  at  the  price  of  every  sacrifice,  for  here  you 
have  on  your  side,  all  your  own,  Jesus,  whose 
place  nothing  can  supply. 


H 

I HE  father  of  the  family  feeds  his  children. 
He  works  unceasingly,  spends  his  life 
to  give  them  their  daily  bread.  But  Our  Lord 


THE  FAMILY  FEAST. 


159 


feeds  you  with  the  Bread  of  Life.  It  is  He 
who  died  in  order  to  gain  for  us  that  good 
Bread,  that  Bread,  which  is  Himself,  His 
adorable  Flesh  and  Blood.  A father  who  gives 
himself  as  food  to  his  children ! In  what 
family  has  such  a prodigy  of  devotedness  ever 
been  seen?  Ah!  Our  Lord  does  not  want 
His  children  to  be  indebted  to  any  but  Himself 
for  their  bread.  No,  no!  neither  the  angels 
nor  the  saints  will  give  you  the  bread  that 
you  need.  Jesus  alone  has  sown  the  wheat  of 
which  It  is  made.  He  passed  It  through  the 
fire  of  suffering,  and  He  offers  It  to  you  Him- 
self. O see  how  kind  this  good  Father  is! 
On  the  eve  of  His  death  He  had  a little  family, 

I the  nucleus  of  the  great  family  He  now  has! 
At  the  Last  Supper,  He  gave  to  each  of  His 
Apostles  this  Bread  of  Heaven,  and  promised 
them  that,  till  the  end  of  the  world,  all  His 
children  should,  as  well  as  they  themselves, 
have  this  Bread  tO'  eat.  O hov/  delicious  is  this 
Bread!  It  has  in  It  all  delight,  for  it  is  God 
Himself,  God,  the  Bread  of  the  orphan ! It  does 
not  nourish  the  body,  it  is  true;  but  it  fills 
the  soul  with  grace  and  love.  It  enriches 
our  soul  and  gives  it  strength  to  repel  its 
enemies,  to  perform  good  works,  and  to  grow 
up  for  heaven. 


i6o 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


And  with  what  goodness  He  gives  It  to  us! 
For  the  bread  of  the  body,  we  have  to  labor, 
we  have  to  pay.  But  this  Bread  cannot  be 
bought.  It  is  priceless.  Our  Lord  gives  It. 
He  asks  only  that  we  have  a pure  heart, 
that  we  are  living  in  His  grace.  Prepare 
yourselves  to  receive  Him  often.  For  this 
end,  be  pure.  The  purer  you  are,  the  more 
frequently  you  receive  Him,  the  greater  de- 
light you  will  find  in  It. 

Come,  eat  of  this  good  Bread.  Our  Lord 
is  happy  when  you  come  to  ask  It  of  Him, 
in  the  same  way  that  a father  is  happy  in 
knowing  that  bread  is  secured  for  his  children. 

Ill 

Father  ought  from  time  to  time,  to  pre^ 
pare  some  little  feasts,  some  little  recrea- 
tion. It  is  necessary  in  a family.  It  draws 
the  bonds  of  affection  closer.  In  such  reun- 
ions, heart  speaks  to  heart.  How  beautiful 
and  holy  are  these  family  feasts  where  all  the 
children  are  joyous  and  happy  around  their 
father,  and  how  much  good  they  do  I The 
little  ones  prepare  for  it  long  in  advance. 
They  get  ready  their  little  address  and  some 


THE  FAMILY  FEAST. 


l6l 


surprise  for  their  father,  a little  gift  or  a beau- 
tiful bouquet. 

Our  Lord,  also  has  His  family  feasts. 
They  are,  first,  the  holydays  of  the  Church, 
the  days  on  which  we  do  no  work.  There  is 
still  a more  special  one,  for  you  alone,  and 
it  is  that  of  today,  and  which  will  last  three 
days.  The  « Forty  Hours  » are  a true  feast 
of  hearts.  Do  you  not  see  how  beautiful 
every  thing  is,  as  if  singing  and  thrilling 
with  joy  around  the  good  Father  of  the  family, 
seated  on  His  throne  of  love?  No  doubt,  you 
have  prepared  your  little  speech,  and  you  are 
thinking  only  of  being  near  your  good  Father. 
All  these  beautiful  lights,  these  lovely  flowers, 
are  the  fruit  of  your  labor,  the  gift  of  your 
hearts.  And  Jesus  is  there,  also.  His  hands 
open,  and  filled  with  graces  for  you. 

On  these  days,  all  your  thoughts,  all  your 
actions  should  be  His.  When  your  turn  comes 
for  adoration,  then  will  be  the  time  for  you 
to  make  your  speech.  Make  it  from  your  heart. 
Do  not  go  to  ask  others  to  make  it  for  you. 
Speak  to  Him  as  well  as  you  know  how, 
and  He  will  reply  to  you.  O listen  attentively 
to  what  He  will  say  to  your  heart! 

Offer  Him  some  good  desires  as  your  bou- 


i62 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


quet  of  choice  flowers.  Then  make  an  act 
of  virtue,  and  offer  Him  some  little  sacrifice 
as  a gift.  All  that  is  very  real.  These  are 
the  relations  that  you  ought  to  have  with 
Our  Lord.  Are  you  not  His  family? 

Pass  these  feast-days  well.  Jesus  is  all 
yours.  Look  at  Him  and  listen  attentively  to 
Him.  He  will  load  you  with  His  graces  during 
this  life,  and  will  one  day  admit  you  to  the 
great  family  of  the  blessed  in  heaven. 


Qiiam  bonus  Israel  Deus ! I How  good  is  God  to  Israel ! 

I (Psalm  lxxii,  i.) 


His  was  the  cry  of  the  Jewish 
people,  of  David,  at  the  re- 
membrance of  the  benefits 
with  which  God  had  never 
ceased  to  surround  them. 
What  should  be  the  Chris- 
tian’s cry  ? Have  we  not  much  more  reason 
than  the  Israelites  to  cry  out:  «Quam  bonus 
Israel  Deus!  — How  good  is  God  to  Israel?  » 
They  received  much  less  from  God  than  we. 
We  have  received  the  goods  of  heaven.  Re- 
demption, grace,  the  Eucharist.  The  gift  that 
God  has  made  us  is  Jesus  Himself,  the  Eucha- 
rist. 

But  the  marks  of  God’s  goodness  for  us 
in  he  gift  of  the  Eucharist,  commend  \\ 


164 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Still  much  more  to  our  gratitude.  To  give, 
is  always  something  good,  without  doubt;  but 
to  give  kindly  is  everything. 

I 

nOw,  Jesus  Christ  gives  Himself  to  us 
in  the  Eucharist  without  any  display 
of  dignity.  Among  men,  we  are  made  to  feel 
more  or  less  the  price  of  what  is  given  us,  and, 
indeed,  it  is  necessary  tO'  maintain  the  respect 
and  honor  of  social  relations. 

But  Jesus,  in  His  great  kindness,  does  not 
wish  even  that.  He  wants  us  to  have  easy 
access  to  Him.  His  body  is  glorified  as  It  is 
in  heaven.  He  reigns,  and  the  angels  form 
His  court.  But  He  hides  His  glory,  He 
conceals  His  Body,  His  Soul,  His  Divinity. 
Nothing  appears  but  the  veil  of  His  goodness. 

He  abases  Himself.  He  humiliates  Himself, 
He  annihilates  Himself,  that  we  may  feel  no 
fear  of  Him. 

In  the  days  of  His  mortal  life.  He  was  so 
sweet,  so  humble  in  His  demeanor  that  every 
one  dared  approach  Him.  Children,  women, 
the  poor,  the  lepers — all  went  fearlessly  to  Him. 
Now  that  His  Body  is  glorified.  He  could 


THE  GOD  OF  GOODNESS.  1 65 

not  appear  without  dazzling  us;  therefore,  He 
veils  Himself.  No  one  fears  to  enter  the 
church.  It  is  open  to  all.  We  know  that  we 
are  approaching  a kind  Father,  who  is  waiting 
for  our  coming  that  He  may  do  us  some  good, 
converse  familiarly  with  us:r  Quam  bonus  Israel 
Deus ! How  good  is  God  to  Israeli  » 

II 

HK^lESUS  gives  Himself  to  us  without  re- 
1^^  serve.  Patiently  and  with  admirable 
meekness,  He  waits  for  us  to  come  and  receive 
Him.  He  gives  Himself  to  all,  rejecting  no 
one. 

He  waits  for  the  poor  and  the  sinner.  The 
poor  man  early  in  the  morning,  before  his 
labor  begins,  comes  to  receive  a sweet  bene- 
diction upon  his  day.  The  manna  fell  into  the 
camp  of  the  Israelites  before  the  rising  of  the 
sun  in  order  that  they  might  not  have  to  wait 
for  the  celestial  nourishment. 

Our  Lord  is  always  upon  His  altar.  He  is 
beforehand  with  even  His  first  visitor.  Happy 
he  who  receives  the  first  blessing  of  the 
Saviour  I 

And  what  about  sinners  ? Jesus  in  the  Sacra- 


i66 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


merit  waits  for  them  weeks,  months,  and  even 
years.  For  forty,  for  sixty  years.  He  holds  out 
His  arms  toward  one,  who  at  last  yields  to  His 
entreaties. 

« Vcnite  ad  me  omnes — Come  ye  all  to  Me ! » 
AJi,  if  they  could  see  the  joy  of  Our  Lord  when 
they  go  to  Himl  They  would  say  that  He  is 
disinterested,  that  it  is  He  who  is  the  gainer. 

Oh,  why  do  they  make  this  good  Saviour 
wait  so  long?  Alas!  He  has  to  do  it.  Some 
will  jiever  come,  or  only  when  borne  upon  a 
bier.  But  then,  alas,  it  will  be  too  late  1 They 
will  then  find  only  an  angry  Judge. 

HI 

Esus  gives  in  secret.  We  do  not  see 
His  gifts.  Men  attach  themselves  to 
the  gift  and  forget  the  giver.  He  hides  His 
hands  that  they  may  think  only  of  His  Heart, 
His  love. 

In  giving  thus  He  teaches  us  to  give  secretly, 
to  hide  ourselves  when  we  do  good,  that  the 
thanks  of  the  recipient  may  go  up  to  God,  the 
Author  of  all  good.  The  goodness  of  Jesus 
condescends  even  to  gratitude.  Yes,  He  is 
satisfied  with  everything  that  we  offer  Him, 


THE  GOD  OF  GOODNESS. 


167 


everything  pleases  Him.  One  might  say  that 
He  has  need  of  it.  He  asks  us,  He  begs  us : 
« My  Son,  I beg  of  you,  give  Me  your  heart  1 » 

IV 

' He  kindness  of  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist 
approaches  even  to  weakness. 

Oh,  let  us  not  be  scandalized  here!  It  is  the 
triumph  of  Eucharistic  goodness. 

Behold  a mother  whose  tenderness  knows  no 
limit  but  death.  Behold  the  father  of  the 
prodigal  who  runs  out  to  meet  his  son,  who 
weeps  with  Jby^n  seeing  once  more  that  in- 
grate who  had  spent  his  fortune  riotously.  The 
world  calls  that  weakness,  but  it  is  the  heroism 
of  love. 

What  shall  we  say  of  the  goodness  of  the 
God  of  the  Eucharist? 

Ah,  yes.  Lord!  We  must  call  it  the  scandal 
of  Thy  goodness. 

Jesus  surrounds  Himself  with  weakness  in 
the  Blessed  Sacrament.  He  allows  Himself 
to  be  insulted,  dishonored,  despised,  profaned 
under  His  eyes,  in  His  own  presence,  at  the 
foot  of  His  altars!  And  does  hot  the  angel 


The  Divine  Eucharist. 


i68 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Strike  these  new  Heliodoruses,  these  Judases? 
No,  nothing  of  the  kind. 

And  does  the  Heavenly  Father  allow  His 
Well- Beloved  Son  to  be  insulted? 

This  is  worse  than  Calvary.  There,  at  least, 
the  sun  veiled  itself  in  horror,  the  elements 
mourned  over  their  Creator.  But  here,  noth- 
ing I 

The  Calvary  of  the  Eucharist  is  everywhere 
raised.  It  began  at  the  Cenacle,  and  it  covers 
the  earth.  It  will  endure  till  the  last  moment 
of  the  world. 

O God,  why  this  excess? 

It  is  the  combat  of  goodness  against  ingrati- 
tude. It  is  Jesus  wishing  to  show  forth  more 
love  than  man  has  hatred,  wishing  to  love  man 
in  spite  of  himself,  to  do  him  good  in  spite  of 
himself.  He  resigns  Himself  to  everything 
rather  than  avenge  Himself.  He  wants  to 
gain  man  by  His  goodness. 

Behold  the  goodness  of  Jesus,  without  glory, 
without  display,  full  of  weakness,  but  all  re- 
splendent with  love  for  those  that  will  only 
see  it. 

« Quam  bonus  Israel  Deus ! — Lord  Jesus,  God 
of  the  Eucharist,  how  good  Thou  art ! » 


^ ^Aa.  2Ai.  zAs.  iAi.  zAa.  2Al  2Al  jAi  iAi  iAi  .gAi  /A^ 


THE  GOD  OF  THE  LOWLY. 


Ego  mendicus  stint  et  patt- 
per. 


I am  a beggar  and  poor. 

(Ps.  XXXIX,  i8.) 


I 

[|Esus  willed  to  be  the  poorest 
of  the  poor,  that  He  might 
be  able  to  hold  out  His  hand 
to  the  very  lowliest,  and  say: 
1 am  thy  Brother, 

During  His  life.  Heaven 
looked  on  amazed  at  the  sight  of  a God 
become  poor  for  love  of  man,  to  be  his  model, 
and  to  teach  him  the  price  of  poverty. 

No  child  ever  came  into  this  world  so  poor 
as  the  Incarnate  Word,  whose  crib  was  the 
straw  of  cattle,  whose  shelter  was  the  retreat  of 
animals. 

In  His  later  years  He  ate  only  barley- 
bread,  the  bread  of  the  poor;  and  during  His 
evangelical  life  He  lived  on  alms. 

Lastly,  He  died  in  destitution  that  will  never 
be  equalled. 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


170 


And  behold  even  now,  glorious  and  resusci- 
tated, poverty  is  still  His  companion.  He 
has  found  the  means  of  honoring  and  prac- 
tising poverty.  Yes,  Jesus,  dwelling  in  our 
midst  in  His  Sacrament,  is  even  poorer  than 
during  the  days  of  His  mortal  life.  A poor 
church,  worse,  perhaps,  than  the  grotto  of 
Bethlehem,  is  very  often  His  dwelling-place. 
Four  boards,  often  worm-eaten,  form  His  taber- 
nacle. His  priests  or  His  faithful  have  to 
supply  Him  with  everything  as  an  alms : the 
matter  for  the  Holy  Sacrifice,  the  bread  and 
the  wine;  the  linen  in  which  to  receive  Him 
or  to  cover  Him,  the  corporals  and  the  altar- 
cloths.  He  brings  from  heaven  only  His 
adorable  Person  and  His  love. 

The  poor  are  without  honor.  — Jesus  is  there 
without  glory. 

The  poor  are  defenceless.  — Jesus  is  there 
abandoned  to  all  His  enemies. 

The  poor  have  few  or  no  friends.  — Jesus 
in  the  Eucharist  has  very  few.  He  is  a stranger 
unknown  by  the  majority  of  men. 

O how  beautiful,  how  attractive  is  this  Eu- 
charistic poverty  of  Our  Lord ! 


THE  GOD  OF  THE  LOWLY 


171 


II 

He  Lord  demands  of  us  to  honor  His 
poverty  by  imitating  it. 

We  shall  be  very  far  from  perfection  if  we 
think  that  it  is  temporal  poverty  He  is  asking 
of  us. 

Jesus  aims  higher.  He  wishes  us  to  be  poor 
in  spirit. 

What  is  poverty  of  spirit? 

It  is  perfect  love,  and  the  soul  of  true  humil- 
ity. ! ■ 

A man  poor  in  spirit,  convinced  that  he  has 
nothing  and  can  do  nothing  of  himself,  makes 
of  his  poverty  itself  the  most  powerful  and  the 
most  precious  title  to  the  Heart  of  God.  The 
poorer  he  is,  the  greater  will  be  his  right  to 
the  divine  goodness  and  mercy. 

Remark  carefully  that  the  more  the  poor 
man  sinks  into  his  poverty,  the  more  surely 
does  he  find  his  natural  place,  for  we  are 
nothing. 

By  so  doing  he  so  much  the  more  honors 
God,  his  Creator;  he  makes  Him  so  much  the 
greater  and  more  merciful. 

So  said  the  Lord  by  one  of  His  prophets: 
Upon  whom  shall  I rest  My  looks  of  love  if 


172 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


not  upon  the  lowliest  of  the  poor,  and  upon  him 
who  has  a contrite  heart? 

Behold  where  the  good  God  finds  His  glory 
— in  our  poverty,  which  returns  all  to  Him, 
which  renders  homage  to  Him  for  all. 

God  so  loves  the  poor  in  spirit  that  He  de- 
spoils His  servants  of  everything,  in  order  that 
by  their  poverty  itself  they  may  triumph. 

He  paralyzes  their  intelligence,  dries  up  their 
heart,  deprives  them  of  the  sweetness  of  His 
grace  and  peace.  He  delivers  them  to  storms 
of  passion,  to  the  fury  of  demons;  He  hides 
from  them  His  sun,  He  cuts  them  off  from  all 
help,  He  conceals  Himself  in  some  way  from 
His  desolate  creatures.  — Oh,  what  a sorrowful 
state ! 

No,  what  a sublime  state!  The  poor  man 
will  triumph  over  God  Himself!  The  more 
God  despoils  him  the  more  does  he  thank  Him 
as  for  a greater  good.  The  more  God  tries 
him,  the  more  does  he  confide  in  His  inex- 
haustible goodness.  And  when  the  demon 
shows  him  hell,  telling  him  that  his  sins  accuse 
and  condemn  him  — O how  great  is  this  man 
poor  in  spirit  when  he  says  to  his  God:  «Yes, 
hell  for  me  means  justice.  Hell  is  not  terrible 
enough,  not  vengeful  enough  for  the  sins  my 


THE  GOD  OF  THE  LOWLY. 


173 


malice  has  committed  against  Thee,  O my 
Creator  and  my  Father!  I deserve  a million 
hells,  and  therefore  do  I hope  in  Thy  infinite 
mercy.  I am  worthy  of  it,  the  most  worthy, 
since  I am  the  most  miserable  of  creatures! 
Satisfy  Thy  justice  on  me  in  this  world,  O my 
God!  I thank  Thee,  I thank  Thee  for  giving 
me  a chance  to  pay  my  debts!  Still  more,  O 
Lord,  I deserve  still  more ! » 

What  can  the  good  God  reply  to  one  s6  poor 
and  so  grateful  ? 

He  will  acknowledge  Himself  vanquished. 
He  will  open  His  arms  to  him.  He  will  pour 
out  upon  him  all  His  treasures.  He  will  point 
him  out  to!  the  angels,  saying  in  admiration: 
« Behold  the  man  that  has  truly  glorified  Me ! » 

HI 

BEt  us  adore  and  communicate  in  quality 
of  the  poor  of  the  good  God.  We  shall 
by  so  doing  find  an  easy  application  of  the  four 
ends  of  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass. 

First,  what  does  the  poor  man  do  when 
about  to  beg  alms  of  a charitable  rich  man? 
Thinking  only  of  the  goodness  of  the  rich 
man,  he  salutes  him  respectfully  and  joyfully. 


174 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


forgetful  of  his  own  miserable  appearance,  his 
poor,  unsightly  rags. 

Do  the  same  before  Our  Lord.  Forget  your 
misery  to  think  only  of  His  goodness.  Adore 
Him  in  confidence  and  humility. 

Secondly,  the  beggar  lauds  the  bounty  of  the 
rich  man:  «Yau  are  very  kind.  Every  one 
says  so.  And  now  you  have  been  kind  to 
me!  » And  he  enumerates  in  detail  the  bene- 
fits that  he  has  received. 

In  It  his  way  praise  and  thank  the  Divine 
Goodness,  and  your  heart  will  find  words  and 
tears  of  gratitude  very  sweet  and  very  eloquent. 

Thirdly,  the  beggar  exposes  his  miseries : 
« Here  I am  again  at  your  door  with  my  wants 
greater  than  ever  before.  I have  only  you!  I 
know  that  your  kindness  will  not  weary  of  me, 
that  it  is  greater  than  my  poverty.  I know 
that  I am  making  you  happy  by  affording 
you  the  occasion  to  do  good.  » 

Let  us  in  this  way  lay  open  our  misery  before 
Our  Lord.  Let  us  win  Him  by  His  heart,  by 
the  good  that  He  desires  to  do,  and  we  shall 
make  Him  happy,  for  His  love  is  shown  only 
by  the  outpourings  of  His  goodness. 

When  the  beggar  receives  much  more  than 
he  asks,  he  sheds  tears  of  tender  gratitude.  He 


THE  GOD  OF  THE  LOWLY. 


175 


does  not  think  of  examining  right  away  what 
has  been  given  him,  for  he  thinks  only  of  the 
good  grace  with  which  it  has  been  given. 
He  exclaimjs,]  and  it  is  his  only  word : « Ah„  how 
good  you  are ! I know  it  well  I » 

But  if  the  rich  man  makes  the  beggar  enter 
his  house,  invites  him  to  his  table,  places  him 
by  his  own  side  — ah ! the  poor  creature  has  not 
the  courage  to  eat,  so  confused  is  he,  so  over- 
come by  such  goodness ! 

Does  not  Our  Lord  treat  us  in  this  way  ? 

May  our  misery  make  us  better  comprehend 
His  bounty! 

Fourthly,  and  lastly,  the  beggar  takes  leave 
of  his  benefactor  with  the  words : « Ah,  if  I 
could  only  do  something  for  you!  I shall,  at 
least,  pray  much  for  your  family.  » And  he 
goes  away,  praising  God  from  sheer  joy,  and 
blessing  his  benefactor. 

Let  us  do  the  same.  Let  us  pray  for  the 
family  of  Our  Lord.  Let  us  bless  His  good- 
ness. Let  us  proclaim  His  glory  everywhere, 
and  offer  Him  the  homage  of  our  heart  and 
life. 


The  EUCHARIST,  the  CENTRE 


of  the  HEART. 


Mamie  in  Me. 


Abide  in  Me. 

(John  xv,  4 ) 


I 


An’s  heart  needs  some  centre 
for  its  affections,  some  spot 
wherein  it  may  expand.  God 
said  when  creating  the  first 
man,  and  it  was  with  this 
thought:  « It  is  not  good  for 
man  to  be  alone.  Let  us  make  him-  a compan- 
ion like  unto  himself.  » 

And  the  Imitation  says : « Without  a friend, 
one  cannot  be  happy.  » 

Ah,  well!  Our  Lord  in  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament  wishes  to  be  the  centre  of  all  hearts. 
He  says  to  us : « Abide  in  My  love.  » — 
« Abide  in  Me.  » 

Whalt:  is  it  to  abide  in  the  love  of  Our  Lord  ? 
It  is  to  make  of  that  Love  which  lives  in  the 


THE  CENTRE  OF  THE  HEART.  1 77 

Eucharist  the  centre  of  one’s  life,  the  only  cen- 
tre of  one’s  consolation.  It  is  to  cast  one’s 
self  into  the  Heart  of  Jesus,  in  the  midst  of 
trials,  chagrin,  anxiety,  disappointments,  in 
those  moments  in  which  the  heart  pours  itself 
out.  He  invites  us  to  do  so : « Come  to  Me,  all 
you  who  are  burdened,  and  I will  refresh  you.  » 

In  joy,  it  is  tO'  refer  our  happiness  to  Our 
Lord,  for  true  friendship  wishes  to  rejoice  only 
with  the  friend. 

It  is  tO'  make  the  Eucharist  the  centre  of 
one’s  desires:  « Lord,  I wish  only  what  Thou 
dost  will.  I shall  do  so  and  so  only  to  give 
Thee  pleasure.  » 

It  is  to  surprise  Our  Lord  by  a gift,  a little 
sacrifice. 

It  is  to  live  by  the  Eucharist,  to  direct  our 
actions  by  the  thought  of  It,  to  make  it  an  in- 
variable rule  to  prefer  Its  good  service  to  every- 
thing else. 

Ah  I is  Jesus  Christ  truly  our  centre? 

Perhaps  in  time  of  extraordinary  trials,  in 
prayers  more  fervent  than  usual,  in  more  urgent 
needs.  He  is;  but  in  our  everyday  life,  do  we 
deliberate,  do  we  act  in  Jesus  as  in  our  centre  ? 

Why  is  not  Our  Lord  my  centre? 

Because  Hie  is  not  the  self  of  myself ; because 


178 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


I am  not  yet  entirely  under  His  direction,  un- 
der the  inspiration  of  His  good  pleasure;  be- 
cause I have  desires  opposed  to  His  in  my  re- 
gard. He  is  not  wholly  in  me!  And  yet  the 
child  labors  for  its  parents,  the  angel  for  its 
God.  I,  then,  should  labor  for  Jesus  Christ, 
my  Master. 

How  shall  I do  it?  Enter  into  this  centre, 
remain  therein,  act  therein,  not  by  the  senti- 
ment of  His  sweetness,  which  I cannot  com- 
mand at  will,  but  by  frequent  aspirations,  the 
homage  of  every  action.  Come,  then,  O my 
soul,  leave  the  world,  go  out  of  thyself,  aban- 
don self.  Turn  to  the  God  of  the  Eucharist. 
He  has  an  abode  in  which  to  receive  thee,  and 
He  is  waiting  for  thee.  He  wants  to  live  with 
thee,  to  live  in  thee.  Live  in  Jesus  present  in 
thy  heart,  live  the  life  of  the  heart,  live  in  the 
goodness  of  Jesus  Eucharistic. 

Labor,  O my  soul,  by  Our  Lord  in  thee,  and 
do  nothing  but  by  Him. 

Abide  in  Our  Lord.  Abide  in  Him  by  a 
sentiment  of  devotedness,  of  holy  joy,  of  readi- 
ness to  do  all  that  He  demands  of  thee.  Abide 
in  the  Heart  and  in  the  peace  of  Jesus  Eucha- 
ristic. 


THE  CENTRE  OF  THE  HEART. 


179 


II 

Hat  strikes  me  in  this  is,  that  the  Eu- 
charistic Centre  is  hidden,  invisible,  whol- 
ly interior;  and  yet  it  is  most  real,  living-  and 
supporting. 

Jesus  attracts  the  soul  spiritually  in  the 
entirely  spiritualized  state  in  which  He  is  in  the 
Blessed  Sacrament. 

What  is,  in  truth,  Jesus’  life  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament?  It  is  entirely  hidden,  al- 
together interior. 

In  It  He  hides  His  power  and  goodness,  yes, 
even  His  Divine  Person.  All  His  actions  and 
virtues  partake  of  this  simple  and  hidden  char- 
acter. 

He  calls  for  silence  around  Him.  No  longer 
does  He  pray  to  His  father  with  sighs  and 
groans,  as  in  the  Garden  of  Olives.  His  own 
annihilation  is  now  His  prayer. 

All  graces  flow  from  the  Sacred  Host.  Jesus 
from  His  Host  sanctifies  the  world,  but  in  a 
manner  secret  and  spiritual.  He  governs  the 
world  and  the  Church  without  disturbing  His 
repose  or  breaking  His  silence. 

Such  should  be  Jesus’  kingdom,  wholly  in- 
terior. I should  gather  all  my  powers  around 


i8o 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Him,  my  faculties,  my  understanding,  my  will, 
and  my  senses,  as  far  as  possible.  I should 
live  of  Jesus  and  not  of  self,  in  Jesus  and  not  in 
self.  I should  pray  with  Him,  immolate  my- 
self with  Him,  consume  myself  in  one  same 
love  with  Him.  I should  become  in  Him  one 
single  flame,  one  single  heart,  one  single  life. 

The  nourishment  of  this  centre  is  no  other 
than  the  egredere  of  Abraham.  It  is  despoil- 
ment, abandonment  of  outside  things,  the  turn- 
ing to  those  within,  the  loss  of  self  in  Jesus. 
This  life  is  most  pleasing  to  His  Heart,  most 
honorable  to  His  Father.  Our  Lord  ardently 
longs  for  it.  He  says  to  me:  « Go  out  of 
thyself.  Come  into  solitude  with  Me,  and  I 
will  speak  to  thy  heart,  one  to  one.  » 

Ah!  this  life  in  Jesus  is  the  love  of  pref- 
erence. It  is  the  gift  of  self,  the  labor  of 
union.  By  it  we  take  root,  we  prepare  the 
nourishment,  the  sap  of  the  tree.  « Regnum 
Dei  intra  vos  est ! — The  Kingdom  of  God  is 
within  you.  » 

HI 


2®  Here  is  no  other 
Eh  Jesus  Eucharistic. 

He  tells  us:  « Without  Me 


centre  than  Jesus, 
ye  can  do  noth- 


THE  CENTRE  OF  THE  HEART.  l8l 


ing.  » He  alone  gives  grace.  He  reserves  to 
Himself  the  disposition  of  it,  in  order  to  force 
us  to  go  to  Him  and  ask  for  it. 

By  this  He  desires  tO'  establish  and  foster 
union  with  us.  He  reserves  consolation  and 
peace,  that  in  our  trials  and  troubles  we  may 
flee  to  Him.  He  wishes  to  be  the  only  hap- 
piness of  our  heart.  He  has  placed  this  centre 
of  repose  in  none  other  than  Himself : « A- 
hide  in  Me!  » That  He  may  never  fail  us 
when  we  seek  Him,  He  is  always  at  our  ser- 
vice, always  ready,  always  amiable. 

He  draws  us  incessantly  to  Himself.  The 
life  of  love  is  only  this  constant  attraction  of 
our  soul  toward  Him. 

Alas!  this  centre  is  still  weak  in  me!  How 
thoughtless,  rare,  often  interrupted  for  long 
hours,  are  my  aspirations  to  Jesus ! And  yet  He 
repeats  to  me:  « He  who  loves  Me,  abides  in 
Me,  and  I in  him ! » 


Mane  nobisr.u77t,  quo7iia7n  Stay  with  us  because  it  is 

advespe7'a'icit.  toward  evening,  and  the  day 

is  now  far  spent. 

(St.  Luke  xxiv,  29.) 

He  disciples  going  to  Em- 
maus  were  interiorly  warmed, 
enlightened,  moved  by  the 
conversation  of  the  Divine 
Stranger  who  joined  them  on 
the  way.  When  He  was 
about  to  quit  them:  « Oh,  remain  with  us!  » 
they  said  to  Him,  « remain,  for  it  is  growing 
late.  » 

They  could  not  hear  enough  from  the  Sav- 
iour. It  seemed  to  them  that  in  parting 
with  Him,  they  were  losing  everything. 

In  our  own  day  we,  too,  can  say  to  Our 
Saviour:  « O stay  with  us.  Lord,  for  without 
Thee  it  is  night,  horrible  night!  » 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST.  1 83 

The  Eucharist  is  the  Sovereign  Good  of 
the  world.  To  be  deprived  of  It,  would  be 
the  greatest  misfortune. 

I 

Es,  Jesus  is  the  Sovereign  Good!  «With 
Him,  » says  the  Wise  Man,  « are  come 
all  good  things.  » And  St.  Paul  exclaims : 
« Since  God  hath  given  us  His  Son,  how  hath 
He  not  also  with  Him  given  us  all  things  ? » 
All  that  He  has,  in  effect,  all  that  He  is.  He 
gives  to  us.  He  can  do  no  more.  Omne 
quod  habet,  omne  quod  est,  dedit  nobis;  plus 
dare  non  potuit.  (St.  Augustine.) 

With  Jesus  Eucharistic,  light  shines  upon 
the  world.  With  the  Eucharist  we  have  the 
Bread  of  the  Strong,  the  Viaticum  of  the 
Pilgrim,  the  Wheat  of  the  Elect,  which  will 
aid  us  to  reach  the  mountain  of  God,  and  the 
Manna,  which  will  enable  us  tO'  support  the 
horror  of  the  desert. 

With  Jesus  we  have  consolation  and  re- 
pose in  fatigue,  in  the  troubles  of  our  soul, 
and  the  sorrows  of  our  heart. 

We  find  in  the  Eucharist  the  remedy  for  our 
ills,  the  price  of  the  new  debts  that  we  daily 

The  Divine  Eucharist.  13 


184 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


contract  toward  Divine  Justice  by  our  sins. 
Our  Lord  offers  Himself  every  morning  as 
the  Victim  of  propitiation  for  the  sins  of  the 
world. 


II 

Ut  this  Gift  above  all  gifts  — are  we 
sure  of  always  possessing  It? 

Jesus  Christ  has  promised  to  remain  with 
His  Church  even  to  the  consummation  of  ages. 
He  made  that  promise  to  no  particular  nation, 
to  no  particular  individual. 

He  will  remain  with  us  if  we  study  to  sur- 
round His  Sacred  Person  with  love  and  honor. 
That  is  the  expressed  condition.  Jesus  Christ 
has  a right  to  honor,  and  He  demands  it.  He 
is  our  King,  our  Saviour.  To  Him,  honor 
above  all  honor.  To  Him  the  supreme  wor- 
ship of  latria.  To  Him  public  homage,  for  we 
are  His  people. 

The  heavenly  Court  prostrates  before  the 
Lamb  immolated.  Here  below,  Jesus  on  en- 
tering into  the  world,  received  the  adoration 
of  the  angels,  that  of  the  multitudes  during 
His  life,  and  of  the  Apostles  after  His  Resur- 
rection. 


THE  SOVEREIGN  GOOD.  1 85 

Nations  and  kings  came  to  adore  Him. 
In  the  Sacrament  has  He  not  a right  to  still 
more  honor,  since  He  multiplies  therein  His 
sacrifices  and  abases  Himself  to  such  a de- 
gree ? 

To  Him,  then,  be  solemn  honor,  the  magnif- 
icence, the  richness,  the  beauty  of  worship. 
God  prescribed  the  least  details  of  the  Mosaic 
worship,  and  yet  that  was  only  a figure.  The 
ages  of  faith  never  thought  they  could  do 
enough  for  the  splendor  of  Eucharistic  worship. 
Witness  their  basilicas,  their  sacred  vessels, 
their  ornaments,  masterpieces  of  art  and  m.agnif- 
icence. 

Faith  works  wonders.  The  worship,  the 
honor  rendered  to  Jesus  Christ  are  the  measure 
of  the  faith  of  a nation,  the  expression  of  its 
virtue. 

Honor,  then,  to  Jesus  Christ!  He  is  worthy  of 
it.  He  has  a right  to  it. 

But  He  would  not  be  satisfied  with  external 
honor.  He  demands  the  worship  of  our  love. 
He  wishes  our  interior  service,  the  homage  of 
our  spirit,  not  shut  up  in  our  own  breast,  but 
shown  forth  by  those  tender  attentioms,  that  a 
good  child,  who  lives  around  father  and  mother, 
constantly  pays  them.  Such  a child  feels  the 


i86 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


need  of  seeing  them,  of  giving  the  n proofs  of 
his  affection.  Absence  from  them  makes  hin 
anxious  and  uneasy.  He  flies  to  them  in  their 
every  need,  he  anticipates  their  desires  as 
far  as  he  can,  he  is  ready  to  do  all  in  his 
power  to  please  his  good  father,  his  good  moth- 
er — that  is  the  worship  of  natural  affection. 

The  worship  of  love  which  Jesus  Eucharistic 
demands  is  the  same.  He  who  loves,  seeks 
the  Eucharist.  He  speaks  of  It  willingly,  he 
has  need  of  Jesus.  He  tends  incessantly  to 
Him,  offering  Him  all  his  actions,  all  the 
pleasures  of  his  heart,  his  joys,  his  consolations. 
He  forms  them  all  into  a bouquet  for  Jesus  in 
the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament. 

It  is  at  this  cost  that  we  shall  keep  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament.  To  lose  It  would  be  the 
sovereign  evil. 

HI 

SHen  the  sun  goes  down,  darkness  gath- 
ers; when  it  no  longer  shines,  it  grows 
cold.  If  the  love  of  the  Eucharist  becomes  ex- 
tinguished in  a heart,  faith  is  lost,  indifference 
reigns  and,  in  this  night  of  the  soul,  the  vices 
prowl  around  like  savage  beasts  in  search  of 
their  prey. 


THE  SOVEREIGN  GOOD. 


187 


Oh ! incomparable  misfortune  I What  can 
revive  a frozen  heart  which  the  Eucharist  is 
powerless  to  warm? 

What  Jesus  Christ  does  for  individuals,  He 
does  for  nations.  He  is  no  longer  loved,  re- 
spected, known;  they  abandon  Him,  they  de- 
spise Him.  What  would  a king  do  if  aban- 
doned by  his  subjects  ? Jesus  would  go 
away  I He  would  go  to  a better  people. 

What  a sad  sight  does  this  abandonment  of 
Our  Lord  present ! He  once  had  a tabernacle 
in  the  Cenacle.  Today  that  Cenacle  is  a 
mosque!  It  no  longer  counts  true  adorers. 
What,  think  you,  Jesus  should  do  there? 

Egypt,  Africa,  once  the  classic  land  of  saints, 
inhabited  by  legions  of  holy  monks,  Jesus 
Christ  has  abandoned.  Since  the  Eucharist 
is  no  longer  there,  desolation  reigns.  But  be 
assured  that  Jesus  Christ  was  the  last  to  leave 
those  places,  and  only  when  a true  adorer 
could  no  longer  be  found  in  them. 

This  wave  of  desolation  has  passed  over 
Europe,  also.  Jesus  has  been  driven  from  His 
temples  and  profaned  upon  His  altars.  He  re- 
turned to  them  no  more.  France  has  seen 
her  faith  diminish,  her  love  for  the  Eucharist 
grow  coM.  Her  churches  in  which  Jesus  Chiist 


i88 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


once  had  fervent  adorers,  have  been  delivered 
over  to  heresy.  When  love  died  out,  Jesus 
fled!  And  He  has  not  returned. 

What  affrights  in  our  own  day,  is  to  see  so 
many  cities  in  which  Jesus  Eucharistic  is  aban- 
doned, left  alone,  absolutely  alone.  And  in 
country  places,  the  churches  are  closed  for  fear 
of  robbers  and  because  there  is  no  one  to  visit 
them.  Can  this  be  possible?  Do  we,  then, 
wish  to  lose  the  Eucharist? 

Ah!  we  ought  to  know  that  when  Jesus  goes 
away,  the  scaffold,  persecution,  and  barbarism 
return.  Who,  then,  could  arrest  these  scourges  ? 

O Lord,  remain  with  us!  We  will  be  Thy 
faithful  adorers!  Better  far  exile,  poverty,  and 
death  than  to  be  deprived  of  Thee! 

O never  inflict  on  us  the  punishment  of  aban- 
doning the  sanctuary  of  Thy  love ! Lord, 
abide  with  us,  for  it  is  late,  and  without  Thee 
it  is  dark  night:  Mane  nohiscum,  Domine,  quo- 
niam  advesperascit. 


Tota  die  expandi  7itamcs 
meas  ad  popuhcm  non  ere- 
dentem  et  contradicentem. 


All  the  day  long  have  I 
spread  my  hands  to  a people 
that  believeth  not,  and  con- 
tradicteth  me.  (Rom.  x,  21.) 


I 

Las  ! it  is  but  too  true,  Our 
Lord  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sac- 
rament is  not  loved ! First 
of  all  He  is  not  loved  by 
those  millions  of  pagans,  Jews, 
infidels,  schismatics,  and  here- 
tics, who  either  do  not  know,  or  who  know 
only  in  a bad  sense,  the  Holy  Eucharist. 

O among  so  many  thousands  of  creatures 
upon  whom  God  has  bestowed  a heart  capable 
of  loving,  how  many  would  love  the  Blessed 


190 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Sacrament  if  they  knew  It  as  I do!  Ought  I 
not,  at  least,  to  endeavor  to  love  It  for  them 
and  instead  of  them  ? 

Among  Catholics,  few,  very  few  love  Jesus  in 
the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament.  How  many  think 
of  Him  frequently?  speak  of  Him?  go  to 
adore  Him,  to  receive  Him? 

Why  this  forgetfulness,  this  coldness  ? O 
it  is  because  they  have  never  tasted  the  Eu- 
charist, Its  sweetness,  the  delights  of  Its  love! 
It  is  because  they  have  never  known  Jesus  in 
His  goodness.  It  is  because  they  distrust  the 
extent  of  His  love  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment I 

Some  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  but  their  faith 
is  inactive.  It  is  a faith  so  superficial  that 
it  reaches  not  to  the  heart;  it  is  limited  to  the 
rigorous  demands  of  conscience  and  salvation. 
And  yet  these  last  are  not  numerous  when  com- 
pared with  those  other  Catholics  who  live  like 
true  pagans,  as  if  they  had  never  heard  the 
Eucharist  mentioned. 


H 


Hence  comes  it  that  Our  Lord  is  so  little 
loved  in  the  Eucharist? 


THE  MOST  BLESS  SACK.  IS  NOT  LOVED.  191 


It  comes  from  this  that  He  is  not  sufficiently 
spoken  of.  Preachers  urge  faith  in  the  Presence 
of  Jesus  Christ  instead  of  speaking  of  His 
life,  of  His  love  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament, 
instead  of  showing  forth  the  sacrifices  that  His 
love  imposes  on  Him;  in  a word,  instead  of 
showing  Jesus  Eucharistic  loving  each  of  us 
personally  and  particularly. 

Another  cause  is  our  own  conduct,  which 
betrays  our  little  love.  No  one  seeing  us  pray- 
ing, adoring,  going  to  church,  would  com- 
prehend the  Presence  of  Jesus  in  it.  Even 
among  the  best  Catholics,  how  many  ever  make 
a visit  of  devotion  to  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment, to  speak  to  Him  from  their  heart,  to  tell 
Him  of  their  love  I They  do  not  love  Our 
Lord  in  the  Holy  Eucharist,  because  they  do 
not  know  Him  intimately.  But  if  they  knew 
Him  with  all  His  love,  with  all  the  sacrifices 
and  desires  of  His  Heart,  and  if,  in  spite  of 
that,  they  did  not  love  Him  — what  an  injury! 
Yes,  an  injury  I 'For  it  is  to  say  to  Jesus  Christ 
that  He  is  not  sufficiently  beautiful,  good, 
amiable,  to  be  preferred  to  what  pleases  their 
fancy. 

What  ingratitude  I After  so  many  graces  re^ 
ceived  from  this  good  Saviour,  so  many  prom- 


192 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


ises  to  love  Him,  so  many  offerings  of  self 
to  His  service  — to  treat  Him  thus  is  to  laugh 
at  His  love. 

What  tepidity!  If  we  do  not  desire  to  know 
Him  well,  to  behold  Him  nearer,  to  receive 
Him,  to  speak  with  Him  heart  to  heart,  it  is 
because  we  dread  being  captivated  by  His 
love!  We  fear  not  to  be  able  to  resist  His 
goodness;  we  fear  being  obliged  to  surrender 
to  Him,  to  sacrifice  to  Him  without  reserve  and 
unconditionally  our  heart,  our  mind,  our  life! 

We  fear  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament,  and  we  flee  from  It!  We 
are  troubled  in  His  Presence;  we  fear  to  yield 
to  Him,  and  so,  like  Pilate  and  Herod,  we  shun 
His  Presence. 

Ill 

do  not  love  Our  Lord  in  the  Most  Bless- 
ed  Sacrament  because  we  ignore,  or  do 
not  seriously  reflect  on  the  sacrifices  His  love 
is  there  making  for  us.  These  are  so  sur- 
prising that  even  to  think  of  them  overwhelms 
the  heart  and  suffuses  the  eyes  with  tears. 

The  institution  of  the  Eucharist  was  at  the 
price  of  the  Saviour’s  Passion.  How  is  that? 


THE  MOST  BLESS.  SACK.  IS  NOT  LOVED.  1 93 


Because  the  Eucharist  is  the  Sacrifice  of  the 
New  Law.  Now,  there  is  no  sacrifice  without 
a victim.  Immolation  demands  the  death  of 
the  victim,  and  to  participate  in  the  merits  of 
the  sacrifice,  it  is  necessary  tO'  participate  in 
the  eating  of  the  victim.  All  this  is  found  in 
the  Eucharist. 

It  is  the  unbloody  Sacrifice,  because  the 
Victim  died  once,  and  by  that  single  death  has 
repaired  and  merited  all  justification.  But  He 
is  perpetuated  in  His  state  of  Victim,  in  order 
to  apply  to  us  the  merits  of  the  bloody  Sacri- 
fice of  the  Cross,  which  is  to  endure  and  be 
represented  before  God  till  the  end  of  the 
world.  We  must  eat  our  share  of  the  Victim. 
But  if  He  showed  Himself  to  us  in  the  state  pf 
death,  our  repugnance  to  eating  would  be  too 
great.  We  never  eat  what  has  died  a natural 
death. 

So  the  Eucharist  is  the  price  of  the  Agony  in 
the  Garden  of  Olives,  of  the  humiliations  en- 
dured before  the  tribunals  of  Caiaphas  and 
Pilate,  and  of  His  death  on  Calvary.  The  Vic- 
tim had  to  pass  through  all  these  immolations 
in  order  to  arrive  at  the  sac'^amental  state  and 
reach  us.  By  instituting  His  Sacrament,  Jesus 
perpetuated  the  sacrifices  of  His  Passion.  He 


194 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


condemned  Himself  to  suffer  an  abandonment 
as  sorrowful  as  that  which  He  endured  in  the 
Garden  of  Olives,  and  the  treason  of  friends 
and  disciples  become  schismatics,  heretics,  and 
renegades,  some  of  whom  would  sell  the  Sacred 
Host  to  Jews  and  magicians. 

By  instituting  His  Sacrament,  He  perpetuated 
the  denials  that  afflicted  Him  in  the  house  of 
Annas,  the  sacrilegious  fury  of  Caiaphas,  the 
contempt  of  Herod,  the  baseness  of  Pilate,  the 
shame  of  seeing  preferred  to  Himself  some  pas- 
sion, some  idol  of  flesh,  as  He  saw  Barabbas 
chosen  instead  of  Him;  but  worse  than  all. 
He  beholds  His  sacramental  crucifixion  in  the 
body  and  soul  of  the  sacrilegious  communicant. 

Our  Lord  knew  all  this  in  advance;  He  saw 
all  the  new  Judases;  He  could  count  them 
among  His  own,  among  His  well-beloved  chil- 
dren. But  it  did  not  check  Him.  He  willed 
that  His  love  should  outdo  men’s  ingratitude 
and  malice.  He  willed  to  survive  their  sacri- 
legious hatred.  He  knew  beforehand  the  te- 
pidity of  His  own,  and  mine  in  particular,  the 
little  fruit  that  we  would  draw  from  Commu- 
nion; and  yet  He  desired  to  love  even  more 
than  He  was  loved,  more  than  man  could  know. 

What  more  ? The  state  of  death,  although  He 


THE  MOST  BLESS.  SACK.  IS  NOT  LOVED.  1 95 


had  the  plenitude  of  life,  of  a glorious  and 
supernatural  life.  To  be  treated  as  one  dead, 
to  be  looked  upon  as  one  dead  — is  that  noth- 
ing? This  state  of  death  implies  that  Jesus 
is  without  beauty,  movement,  defence,  envel- 
oped in  the  Sacred  Species  as  in  a winding- 
sheet,  and  in  the  tabernacle  as  in  a tomb; 
and  yet  He  is  there  seeing  everything,  hearing 
everything.  His  love  has  veiled  His  power 
and  glory.  His  hands  and  feet.  His  beautiful 
countenance  and  sacred  mouth,  all,  all.  He 
retains  only  His  Heart  to  love  and  His  state 
of  victim  to  intercede  for  us. 

At  sight  of  Jesus’  so  great  love  for  ungrateful 
man  it  looks  as  if  the  demon  triumphs  and  in- 
sults Him.  « I,  » does  he  say,  « I give  man 
nothing  that  is  true,  beautiful  or  good.  I 
have  never  suffered  for  him,  and  yet  I am 
better  loved,  better  obeyed,  better  served  than 
You!  » 

Alas  I it  is  too  true  I Our  coldness  and  ingrat- 
itude are  the  triumph  of  Satan  over  God.  O 
how  dan  we  forget  the  love  of  Our  Lord,  a love 
that  has  cost  Him  so  much,  and  to  which  He 
has  refused  nothing? 


196 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


IV 

HT  is  true,  also,  that  the  world  makes  every 
effort  to  prevent  Jesus  in  the  Most  Bless- 
ed Sacrament  from  being  loved  with  a love  that 
is  real  and  practical,  in  order  to  prevent  His 
being  visited,  in  order  to  paralyze  the  effects 
of  His  love.  It  absorbs,  binds,  captivates  souls 
in  many  occupations,  in  exterior  good  works,  in 
order  to  divert  them  from  applying  their 
thoughts  for  any  length  of  time  to  the  love  of 
Jesus.  It  even  combats  directly  this  practical 
love,  representing  it  as  superfluous,  as  possible 
only  in  the  cloister. 

At  every  instant,  Satan  is  warring  against 
our  love  of  Jesus  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment. He  knows  that  Jesus  is  there  living, 
attracting  and  possessing  souls;  therefore,  he 
drives  from  us  the  thought,  effaces  from  our 
mind  the  good  impression  made  by  the  Eu- 
charist. 

And  yet  God  is  all  love.  And  the  sweet  Sav- 
iour cries  to  us  from  His  Host:  « Love  Me 
as  I have  loved  thee  1 Abide  in  My  love ! 

I am  come  to  cast  upon  earth  the  fire  of  love, 
and  what  will  I but  that  it  inflame  all  hearts ! » 
O at  death  and  after  death,  what  shall  we 


THE  MOST  BLESS.  SACK.  IS  NOT  LOVED.  1 97 


think  of  the  Eucharist  when  we  behold  It,  when 
we  know  all  Its  goodness,  love,  and  riches  ? 

O my  God,  my  God!  what  dost  Thou  think 
of  me  who  have  known  Thee  so  long,  who  have 
communicated  so  often!  Thou  hast  given  me 
all  that  Thou  couldst  give  me.  Thou  dost  will 
that  I serve  Thee  in  return,  and  I have  not 
yet  acquired  the  first  virtue  of  this  service. 
Thou  art  not  yet  the  sovereign  law  of  my  life, 
the  centre  of  my  heart,  the  end  of  my  existence. 
What  hast  Thou  still  to  do  in  order  to  triumph 
over  my  heart?  — Lord,  it  is  over,  the  victory 
is  Thine  I Henceforth  my  device  shall  be : 
Either  the  Eucharist  or  death! 


Christies  vincit^  Christus 
regnat^  Christus  imperat ; ab 
Omni  nialo  plebeni  suam  de- 
fendat. 


Christ  conquers,  Christ 
reigns,  Christ  commands. 
May  He  defend  His  people 
from  every  evil  ! 


OPE  Sixtus  the  Fifth  had  these 
words  engraved  on  the  obe- 
lisk that  stands  in  the  centre  of 
the  great  square  of  St.  Peter’s, 
in  Rome. 

These  magnificent  words  are 
in  the  present,  and  not  in  the  past  tense,  in 
order  to  point  out  to  us  that  the  triumph  of 
Jesus  Christ  is  always  actually  going  on,  and 
that  it  is  accomplished  by  the  Eucharist  and 
in  the  Eucharist. 

I 

HH  BIS  TVS  vincit ! — Christ  conquers  I 
Our  Lord  has  combated.  He  has  re- 
mained Master  of  the  field  of  battle,  and  there 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


J99 


He  has  planted  His  standard,  there  He  has 
fixed  His  abode,  the  Sacred  Host,  the  Eu- 
charistic tabernacle. 

He  has  vanquished  the  Jew  and  his  Temple, 
and  He  has  a tabernacle  on  Calvary,  whither 
all  nations  come  to  adore  Him  under  the 
Species  of  the  Sacrament. 

He  has  vanquished  paganism,  and  has  chosen 
for  His  capital  Rome,  the  city  of  the  Caesars. 
His  tabernacle  is  in  the  temple  of  Jupiter 
tonans,  Jupiter  the  Thunderer. 

He  has  vanquished  the  false  wisdom  of  the 
sages  and,  becoming  the  Divine  Eucharist,  He 
rises  upon  the  world,  and  extends  His  rays  over 
the  whole  earth,  darkness  fleeing  like  the 
shadows  of  night  at  the  approach  of  the  sun. 
Idols  have  been  overthrown,  sacrifices  abol- 
ished. Jesus  in  the  Eucharist  is  a Conqueror 
who  never  pauses,  who  marches  straight  on. 
He  wills  to  subject  the  whole  world  to  His 
sweet  empire. 

Whenever  He  takes  possession  of  a country. 
He  erects  His  royal  Eucharistic  tent.  The 
erection  of  a tabernacle  is  His  taking  posses- 
sion. In  our  days  He  is  still  journeying  among 
benighted  nations  and,  wherever  He  goes, 
wherever  the  Eucharist  is  borne,  nations  are 

14 


The  Divine  Eucharist. 


200 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


converted  to  Christianity.  This  is  the  secret 
of  the  triumph  of  our  Catholic  missionaries, 
and  of  the  failure  of  Protestant  preachers.  In 
the  latter,  man  combats;  in  the  former  Jesus 
Christ.  He  triumphs. 


II 

HBISTUS  regnat!  — Christ  reigns! 

Jesus  reigns  not  over  lands,  but  over 
souls,  and  that  by  the  Eucharist. 

A king  ought  to  reign  by  his  laws  and  by 
the  love  that  his  subjects  bear  him. 

Now,  the  Eucharist  is  the  law  of  the  Chris- 
tian, a law  of  love,  a law  of  charity,  published 
in  the  Cenacle  during  the  admirable  discourse 
after  the  Last  Supper:  Love  one  another,  this 
is  My  commandment.  Love  one  another  as  1 
have  loved  you.  Abide  in  Me,  and  keep  My 
commandments. 

The  Eucharist  is  the  law  revealed  in  Com- 
munion. Like  the  disciples  of  Emmaus,  the 
Christian  then  sees  clearly  and  imderstands 
the  law  in  all  its  fulness. 

It  was  the  « Breaking  of  the  Bread  » that 
rendered  the  first  Christians  so  strong  against 
persecution,  so  faithful  to  the  practice  of  the 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  CHRIST. 


201 


law  of  Jesus  Christ:  Erant  perseverantes  in 
communicatione  fractionis  panis.  They  perse- 
vered in  the  breaking  of  bread. 

The  law  of  Jesus  Christ  is  one,  holy,  uni- 
versal, eternal.  Nothing  in  it  will  ever  be 
changed,  nothing  ever  be  weakened,  for  Jesus 
Christ  Himself,  its  Divine  Author,  guards  it. 
The  Legislator  Himself  promulgates  to  every 
soul  His  divine  law. 

The  Eucharist  is  a law  of  love.  How  many 
kings  reign  by  love?  It  is  only  Jesus  Christ 
whose  yoke  has  not  been  imposed  by  force. 
His  reign  is  sweetness  itself.  His  true  subjects 
are  devoted  to  Him  in  life  and  in  death,  they 
even  give  their  life  rather  than  be  unfaithful  to 
Him. 

HI 

HHBISTUS  imperat ! — Christ  commands ! 

No  king  rules  over  the  whole  world. 
There  are  other  kings,  his  equals.  But  God 
the  Father  has  said  to  Jesus  Christ:  1 will  give 
Thee  all  the  nations  for  Thy  inheritance.  And 
Our  Lord,  sending  His  lieutenants  throughout 
the  world,  says  to  them:  « All  power  is  given 
to  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  Going  therefore, 
teach  ye  all  nations.  » 


202 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


It  was  from  the  Cenacle  that  these  orders 
went  forth.  The  Eucharistic  tabernacle,  the 
extension,  the  multiplication  of  the  Cenacle,  is 
the  headquarters  of  the  King  of  Kings.  All 
who  fight  the  « good  fight  » there  receive  their 
orders. 

Before  Jesus  Christ  all  are  subject,  all  obe- 
dient, from  the  Pope,  the  Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ, 
down  to  the  simple  Faithful. 

Christ  commands! 


IV 


HBISTUS  ah  omni  malo  plehem  suam  de- 
fendat ! — May  Christ  defend  His  people 
from  all  evil! 

The  Eucharist  is  the  divine  lightning-rod 
which  turns  away  from  us  the  thunderbolts  of 
Divine  Justice.  Like  a loving  and  devoted 
mother  who,  to  screen  her  child  from  the 
anger  of  an  irritated  father,  hides  him  in  her 
bosom,  clasps  him  in  her  arms,  and  shields  him 
with  her  own  body,  so  Jesus  multiplies  Him- 
self throughout  the  world,  covers  the  whole 
world,  envelops  it  with  His  merciful  Presence. 
Divine  Justice  knows  not  where  to  strike.  It 
dares  not. 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  CHRIST. 


203 


And  against  the  demon,  what  protection ! 
The  Blood  of  Jesus  tingeing  our  lips,  makes  us 
terrible  to  Satan.  We  are  marked  with  the 
Blood  of  the  true  Lamb,  and  the  exterminating 
angel  will  not  enter. 

The  Eucharist  protects  the  guilty,  in  order 
that  he  may  have  time  to  repent.  In  olden 
times,  the  murderer,  pursued  by  the  law,  used 
to  flee  into  some  church,  whence  they  could 
not  drag  him  to  punishment.  He  saved  his  life 
in  the  shadow  of  the  mercy  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Ah!  without  the  Eucharist,  without  this  per- 
petual Calvary,  how  often  would  the  divine 
wrath  have  burst  upon  our  head! 

How  unhappy  are  they  who  no  longer  have 
the  Eucharist!  What  darkness!  What  lawless- 
ness of  mind ! What  coldness  of  heart ! Satan 
alone  reigns  as  master  and  with  him  every  evil 
passion!  As  for  us,  the  Eucharist  delivers  us 
from  all  evils ; Christus  vincit,  Christus  regnat, 
Christus  imperat.  Ab  omni  malo  plehem  suam 
defendat ! 


'4*' '4^ '4*' 

.tAi  .cAa.  .cAa.  jAi.  jAa.  ^ .tAi  ^ 


GOD  IS  THERE  I 


Fere  Dominus  est  in  loco  I Indeed  the  Lord  is  in  this 
isto^  et  ego  nescieba7n  ! place,  and  I knew  it  not. 

I (Gen.  XXVIII,  i6.) 


I 

O judge  of  a family,  we  must 
see  whether  the  law  of  respect 
is  observed  in  it.  Where  the 
children,  the  servants,  are 
submissive  and  respectful,  we 
may  say,  « Behold  a good  and 

happy  family!  » 

Respect  and  honor  rendered  to  parents’ form 
the  religion  of  the  family,  just  as  respect  for 
the  Sovereign  or  his  representatives  is  the  relig- 
ion of  society. 

It  is  not  the  qualities  of  these  persons  that 
we  are  called  upon  to  honor,  but  the  dignity 
that  comes  from  God. 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


205 


Now,  we  owe  respect  to  Our  Lord;  it  is  our 
first  obligation.  We  owe  Him  spontaneous 
respect,  instinctive  respect,  not  founded  on 
reasoning,  and  this  under  pain  of  being  wanting 
in  the  sense  of  faith. 

This  is  instinctive.  Our  Lord  must  be  hon- 
ored wherever  He  is.  His  dignity  as  Man-God 
demands  it.  At  His  Name  every  knee  should 
bend  in  heaven,  on  earth,  and  in  hell. 

In  heaven,  the  angels  prostrate  before  His 
Majesty,  trembling  and  adoring.  The  place  of 
the  glory  of  Our  Lord  is  also  that  of  His  sover- 
eign respect. 

On  earth,  all  creatures  obey  Our  Lord.  The 
sea  bows  down  under  His  feet  in  adoration. 
The  sun  and  stars  honor  Him;  they  mourn 
when  men  revile  Him. 

In  hell,  the  reprobate  tremble  under  the 
justice  of  the  severe  Judge  of  the  living  and 
the  dead. 

H 

H|Espect  to  our  Lord  present  ought  not  to 
I be  respect  springing  from  reason.  When 
the  Court,  the  King  are  announced,  all  rise 
instinctively.  When  the  Sovereign  passes,  all 


2o6 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


salute;  there  is  one  spontaneous  movement  of 
respect  and  deference.  He  who  has  lost  senti- 
ment or  who  seeks  to  destroy  it  in  others,  is 
no  longer  a man. 

Oh!  how  Catholics  have  to  blush  for  their 
little  respect  before  Our  Lx)rd!  I am  now 
speaking  of  only  the  respect  of  instinct. 

Go  into  a synagogue.  If  you  were  to  act 
or  speak  disrespectfully,  you  would  be  put  out. 

To  enter  a mosque,  you  are  obliged  to  lay 
aside  your  shoes.  And  yet  these  infidels  have 
nothing  real  in  their  temples,  and  we  have  all  1 
In  spite  of  that,  their  respect  far  surpasses  ours. 

Our  Lord  had  good  right  to  say  that  the 
demon  is  more  honored  than  He:  « I have 
brought  up  children,  and  they  have  despised 
Me!  » 

I ask  mothers  whether  they  would  be  well 
satisfied  to  be  publicly  scorned  by  their  chil- 
dren. Why  do  we  do  in  presence  of  Our  Lord 
what  would  wound  us  so  much  if  done  in  our 
own?  Why  are  we  less  sensitive  when  there  is 
question  of  the  honor  of  Jesus  Christ  than  when 
our  own  dignity  is  at  stake? 

What  could  be  more  false?  Our  dignity 
comes  to  us  only  from  God,  by  reflection.  By 
neglecting  the  respect  due  to  Our  Lord,  we 


GOD  IS  THERE  ! 


207 


are  destroying  our  own.  Oh,  were  Our  Lord 
to  punish  us  as  we  deserve  for  our  failures  in 
respect ! He  caused  Heliodorus  to  be  scourged 
severely  for  having  profaned  His  Temple;  but 
there  is  more  here  than  in  the  Temple. 

Let  us,  then,  give  to  Our  Lord  our  first 
homage  of  respect  on  entering  His  Presence. 
Should  levity  or  carelessness  precede  this  hom- 
age, ah,  we  are  miserable!  Yes,  our  greatest 
sins  against  faith  are  those  of  failures  in  re- 
spect. 

HI 

E who  has  faith  knows  where  he  is  going. 
He  knows  that  he  is  going  to  the  church, 
to  Jesus  Christ.  Like  St.  Bernard,  he  says  to 
all  his  occupations  when  entering:  « Remain 
outside.  I must  go  to  God  for  refreshment.  » 
Act  thus.  You  know  how  long  you  have 
to  remain  in  church,  so  during  that  time,  leave 
everything  else.  If  you  come  to  pray,  then 
you  have  not  come  to  think  over  your  business 
affairs.  If  distractions,  the  imagination,  preoc- 
cupations disturb  you,  send  them  outside  the 
door  without  troubling  yourself  about  them, 
and  do  you  remain  inside.  Offer  yourself  to 
Our  Lord  in  the  spirit  of  respect  and  repara- 


208 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


tion.  Be  more  recollected,  and  let  Our  Lord 
see  that  you  detest  your  distractions.  By  your 
demeanor,  if  not  by  your  interior,  do  homage 
to  His  Divinity,  His  Presence;  and  if  you  do 
only  that,  you  will  already  be  doing  a great 
deal. 

Watch  a saint  entering  a church.  He  does 
so  without  thinking  of  those  that  may  be  there, 
forgetting  everything,  seeing  only  Jesus  Christ. 
In  presence  of  the  Pope,  one  thinks  not  of 
Bishops  or  Cardinals,  and  in  heaven,  the  saints 
are  not  amusing  themselves  with  honoring  one 
another.  No,  to  God  alone  all  honor,  all 
glory!  Act,  then,  on  this  principle:  In  the 
church,  there  is  only  Our  Lord. 

After  entering,  remain  perfectly  quiet  for  a 
moment.  Silence  is  the  greatest  mark  of  re- 
spect, and  the  first  disposition  for  prayer  is 
respect.  Most  of  our  dryness  and  indevotion  in 
prayer  come  from  our  want  of  respect  to  Our 
Lord  on  our  first  appearing  before  Him,  or 
from  the  fact  that  we  do  not  maintain  a re- 
spectful position. 

Oh,  let  us  take  a firm  resolution  to  practise 
this  instinctive  respect  I There  is  no  necessity 
for  reasoning  on  that  point.  Must  Our  Lord 
prove  to  us  His  Presence  every  time  we  enter 


GOD  IS  THERE  ! 


209 


a church?  Ought  He  to  send  an  angel  every 
time  to  tell  us  that  He  is  there? 

That  would,  indeed,  be  very  deplorable, 
though,  alasl  very  necessary. 

IV 

E owe  Our  Lord  exterior  respect;  that  is 
the  prayer  of  the  body,  and  nothing  so 
much  helps  the  prayer  of  the  soul.  See  with 
what  religious  care  the  Church  has  regulated 
the  least  details  of  her  exterior  worship.  It  is 
because  this  prayer  gives  great  glory  to  Jesus 
Christ.  He  gave  us  the  example  of  it  by  pray- 
ing on  His  knees,  and  tradition  shows  Him  to 
us  praying  with  His  arms  in  the  form  of  a 
cross,  or  raised  toward  heaven.  The  Apostles 
preserved  for  us  this  manner  of  prayer,  and  the 
priest  uses  it  in  the  Holy  Sacrifice. 

Our  body,  which  receives  life  from  God, 
which  lives  upon  His  benefits  at  every  instant, 
does  it  to  we  nothing  to  God  ? It  must  be  made 
to  pray  by  its  respectful  posture. 

Negligent  attitudes  of  the  body  weaken  the 
soul,  while  a crucifying  one  strengthens  and 
helps  it.  I do  not  wish  to  make  you  suffer  by 
a too  uncomfortable  position,  but  we  must 


210 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


use  a little  severity.  Never  indulge  in  famil- 
iar postures  before  God,  for  they  engender 
contempt.  Love  Him,  be  tender  and  affec- 
tionate toward  Him,  but  never  familiar.  Arid- 
ity and  indevotion  in  prayer  almost  always 
rise  from  irreverience  of  demeanor. 

If  travelling,  or  saying  prayers  of  superero- 
gation in  your  own  homes,  take  the  posture 
that  will  fatigue  you  least ; but  before  Our 
Lord,  the  whole  being  should  adore.  Recall 
how  severe  God  was  on  this  point  in  the  Old 
Law,  through  what  preparatory  details  the 
Levites  had  to  pass.  God  wished  thereby  to 
make  them  feel  their  dependence,  and  to  pre- 
pare them  to  pray  well. 

Through  want  of  this  exterior  respect,  our 
piety  languishes.  I know  well  that  it  is  not 
necessary  to  tremble  with  fear  before  God  or 
to  be  afraid  to  enter  His  Presence;  but  on  the 
other  hand,  we  must  not  look  as  if  we  ignored 
Him. 

This  reserved  demeanor  is  a help  to  more 
earnest  prayer,  but,  through  sensuality,  we 
neglect  to  maintain  it.  We  think  ourselves 
too  much  fatigued.  Ah,  how  the  imagination 
deceives  us ! If  the  Pope  were  passing,  our 
fancied  fatigue  would  not  prevent  our  kneeling. 


GOD  IS  THERE  ! 


21 1 


And  even  should  we  be  seriously  fatigued,  let 
us  not  be  so  afraid  of  suffering,  for  it  spreads 
the  wings  of  prayer ! We  can  at  least,  even  then, 
preserve  a grave  and  serious  demeanor.  When 
persons  of  the  world  are  fatigued,  they  sit  down 
in  an  upright  position;  they  do  not  lounge  on 
their  chairs.  Take,  then,  none  of  those  pos- 
tures that  relax  the  soul  and  unfit  it  for  prayer. 
As  for  us,  religious,  kneeling  is  our  proper  posh 
tion,  fotr  it  is  the  true  posture  of  the  adorer. 
If  we  are  greatly  fatigued,  let  us  stand.  That, 
too,  is  a respectful  position.  But  let  us  never 
sit.  Let  us  be  soldiers  of  the  God  of  the 
Eucharist.  If  our  heart  is  not  burning  with 
love,  our  body,  at  least,  will  testify  to  our  faith, 
and  our  desire  to  love  and  do  the  right  thing. 

May  our  body  pray!  May  it  adore!  Let 
us  all  belong  to  the  Court  of  King  Jesus. 
Think  that  the  Master  is  there.  Impress  your 
mind  with  that  thought.  Attention  to  Our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ! 

Y ere  Dominus  est  in  loco  isto ! 


I 


j:Al^  j/^  ^zAl^  zAl xAl^ 


THE  GOD  OF  THE  HEART. 


Sentite  de  Domino  in  boni-  I Think  of  the  Lord  in  good- 
tate.  I ness.  (Wisd.  I,  i.) 


I 

1 0 the  respect  of  instinct,  of 
! exterior  homage,  there  should 
I be  joined  the  respect  of  love. 

! The  first  honors  the  dignity  of 
I Our  Lord;  the  latter,  His  good- 
J ness.  The  first  is  the  respect 
of  the  servant,  the  latter  that  of  the  son.  Now, 
it  is  to  the  latter  that  Our  Lord  attaches  the 
greater  value.  To  pause  at  the  respect  of 
exterior  honor,  would  be  to  remain  at  the  door, 
because  He  desires  above  all  to  be  honored 
in  His  goodness.  It  was  different  in  the  Old 
Law.  God  had  written  on  His  Temple: 
« Tremble  on  approaching  My  sanctuary  »; 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


213 


He  was  obliged  to  make  the  carnal  Jews  trem- 
ble and  to  lead  them  by  fear. 

But  in  our  day  when  He  has  become  incar- 
nate, He  wishes  us  to  serve  Him  by  love,  and 
He  writes  on  His  Tabernacle:  « Come  all  to 
Me,  and  I will  refresh  you.  Come,  I am  meek 
and  humble  of  Heart.  » 

During  His  mortal  life.  Our  Lord  acquired 
His  title  of  Good.  The  disciples,  and  even 
His  enemies,  called  Him  Magister  hone.  Good 
Master. 

. It  is  in  our  day],  it  is  in  the  Eucharist  that 
Our  Lord  wishes  to  enjoy  His  title  of  Good 
Master.  Far  from  changing.  He  has  increas- 
ed His  familiarity  with  us.  He  wishes  us  to 
reflect  on  His  tenderness,  to  enlarge  our  heart, 
to  find  our  happiness  in  beholding  Him  who 
has  drawn  us  to  His  feet. 

This  is  the  meaning  of  His  sacramental  veil. 
We  are  more  powerfully  attracted  to  the  great 
than  to  the  good.  If  Our  Lord  should  show  us 
His  glory  we  would  rest  in  it  without  going  to 
His  Heart.  We  should  be  Jews;  but  Our 
Lord  wants  us  to  be  children.  And  so  He 
wants  exterior  respect  only  as  a first  act,  a 
preliminary  act,  which  leads  us  to  His  Heart, 
upon  which  He  will  make  us  rest  in  peace. 


2 14  the  divine  EUCHARIST. 

If  we  saw  Him  in  His  grandeur,  we  should 
tremble,  we  should  fall  to  the  ground,  we 
should  never  make  an  act  of  love.  Ah!  we 
are  not  yet  in  heaven!  There  are  books  that 
speak  only  of  the  majesty  of  God.  That  is 
all  very  well  in  passing;  but  to  pause  on  God^s 
greatness,  to  make  our  whole  prayer  on  it,  is 
not  desirable,  for  it  fatigues.  Before  our  good 
Lord  we  can  pray  one  hour,  two  hours,  without 
straining  the  mind.  If  distractions  come,  we 
ask  pardon,  and  this  as  often  as  they  present 
themselves.  We  do  not  become  weary,  for 
we  know  that  we  shall  always  obtain  the  pardon 
we  ask.  But  in  the  former  case,  after  some 
distractions,  we  quit  prayer  quite  discouraged. 

II 

SjHE  consideration  of  the  goodness  of 
Our  Lord  honors  Him.  It  puts  it  in  ope- 
ration, for  His  goodness  can  flow  only  upon 
what  is  lower  than  itself.  In  making  myself 
very  low  and  very  little  I am  inundated  by  His 
graces,  by  His  sweet  effusions.  We  then  place 
ourselves  with  the  poor,  the  lowly,  whom  Our 
Lord  so  much  loves.  We  say  to  Him:  « Thou 
art  so  good!  Ah,  behold  one  upon  whom  to 
shed  Thy  goodness!  » 


THE  GOD  OF  THE  HEART. 


215 


It  is  then  that  we  speak.  Otherwise  we  do 
as  is  customary  before  kings : we  tremble  and 
remain  silent,  not  knowing  what  to  say.  But 
the  Eucharist  by  Its  sweetness  renders  the 
tongues  of  little  children  eloquent,  and  we  are 
all  children.  The  goodness  of  the  Eucharist 
makes  our  prayers  more  sweet  and  easy.  We 
are  prone  to  pride  ourselves  on  our  graces, 
and  to  regard  ourselves  as  proprietors  of  them. 
Our  Lord  does  not  like  that.  He  bestows  them 
upon  us  that  we  may  make  them  fructify  to 
His  glory.  He  allows  us  then  to  be  assailed 
by  distractions  in  order  to  humble  us.  We 
want  to  pray  without  distrac.ions,  and  we  can- 
not. « I will  give  up  prayer,  » says  some  one, 
« for  I am  only  laying  up  sins  by  it.  » 

No,  no,  that  is  false!  Confide  in  the  good- 
ness of  Our  Lord,  and  your  faults  will  no 
longer  frighten  you.  Mercy  will  pardon  you. 
It  is  personified  before  you. 

HI 

HHe  worship  of  love  ought  to  make  us  go 
with  great  confidence  into  the  Presence 
of  Our  Lord.  Let  us  personalize  His  love. 
Let  us  say  to  Him:  « Lord,  behold  me,  whom 


The  Divine  Euch.-^rist, 


15 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


2 I 6 


Thou  hast  loved  so  much,  to  whom  Thou  dost 
hold  out  Thy  arms ! » — This  thought  will 
expand  the  heart.  Say  to  yourself  that  Our 
Lord  loves  you  personally.  We  cannot  be  in- 
sensible to  such  a thought. 

This  thought  is,  besides,  the  secret  of  real 
recollection.  There  is  nothing  forced  about  it. 
To  be  recollected  in  Our  Lord,  to  act  in  that 
spirit,  to  fulfil  all  the  obligations  of  your  state, 
cast  yourself  on  the  goodness  of  Our  Lord. 
Your  heart  will  beat  in  His,  and  that  is  recollec- 
tion. At  the  same  time  the  mind  will  be  free 
and  independent.  You  can  bend  it  to  whatever 
you  will.  The  heart  directs  and  governs  the 
head.  It  transmits  to  it  its  influence. 

Thus  it  is  that  the  presence  of  God  is  bound 
up  with  everything.  If  the  mind  were  always 
under  the  impression  of  His  greatness  and 
majesty,  it  would  become  absorbed  or  fatigued, 
and  lose  the  sight  of  God  or  its  own  duties. 
But  recollection  of  heart  is  real.  God  has 
given  us  a mind  that  is  more  or  less  limited, 
that  is  quickly  exhausted.  But  the  heart  has 
a much  wider  range,  a far  higher  power.  It 
can  always  increase  in  love,  and  the  loving 
presence  of  God  permeates  everything.  It  en- 
courages us  to  action.  Under  its  influence  we 


THK  GOD  OF  THF  HEART. 


know  well  that  God  is  good  and  merciful,  we 
live  in  His  bounty.  It  is  thus  that  the  servant, 
newly  engaged,  flies  at  a sign  from  his  master! 
The  latter  owes  him  no  gratitude  for  it,  because 
he  is  acting  in  view  of  his  wages. 

But  filial  obedience  has  a perfume  that  noth- 
ing can  replace  and  which  nothing  can  tire 
out.  It  is  affectionate,  it  is  free  from  vanity. 
That  is  what  Our  Lord  demands  of  us.  He  is 
willing  that  a tiny  stream  of  it  should  flow  out 
to  parents,  but  the  great  river  He  wants  for 
Himself.  Let  us,  then,  give  Him  our  whole 
heart. 

On  entering  His  Presence,  let  us  offer  Him 
the  homage  of  instinctive  and  profound  re- 
spect for  His  majesty;  but  after  that  let  us  has- 
ten to  cast  ourselves  into  the  arms  of  His  good- 
ness, and  abide  in  it.  « Manete  in  dilectiom 
TYiea  Abide  in  My  love  I » 


The  WORSHIP  of  the  EUCHARIST. 


Dilexidecorem  domus  tucE.  I I have  loved  the  beauty  of 
1 Thy  house.  (Ps.  xxv,  8.) 

Ne  day  a woman,  and  she  was 
a good  adorer,  came  to  Jesus 
to  adore  Him.  She  brought 
with  her  an  alabaster  vase  of 
perfume,  which  she  poured 
over  His  feet  to  show  her  love 
for  Him  and  to  honor  His  Divinity  and  Sacred 
Humanity. 

« Why  this  waste?  » asked  the  traitor  Judas. 
« This  perfume  might  have  been  sold  at  a 
very  high  price,  and  the  money  given  to  the 
poor.  » 

But  Jesus  took  the  part  of  His  servant: 
« What  this  woman  has  done,  she  has  done 
well.  Wheresoever  this  Gospel  shall  be  preach- 
ed, this  action  shall  be  related  to  her  praise.  » 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


219 


Let  us  see  the  application  of  this  evangelical 
fact.  ' ; 


Lord  is  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  to 
receive  from  men  the  same  homage  as 
from  those  that  approached  Him  during  His 
mortal  life.  He  is  there  that  all  may  render 
personal  homage  to  His  Sacred  Humanity.  If 
this  were  the  only  reason  for  the  existence 
of  the  Eucharist  we  should  be  very  happy  to 
be  able  to  render  to  Our  Lord  in  person  our 
Christian  duty. 

Public  worship  has,  because  of  His  Presence, 
a reason  of  existence,  a life.  Take  away  the 
Real  Presence,  and  how  should  we  render  to 
His  Sacred  Humanity  the  respect  and  honor  to 
which  He  has  a right?  As  man.  Our  Lord 
is  only  in  heaven  and  in  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament.  It  is  by  the  Eucharist  that  we 
can  approach  Him  in  person,  living.  There 
we  can  see  Him,  talk  to  Him.  Without  this 
Presence,  worship  would  become  an  abstrac- 
tion. 

By  this  Presence  we  go  directly  to  God,  and 
we  approach  Him  as  during  His  mortal  life. 
What  a misfortune  to  be  reduced  to  the  neces- 


220 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


sity  when  honoring  the  Humanity  of  Jesus 
Christ,  of  transporting  ourselves  in  imagination 
to  nineteen  centuries  ago!  That  would  do, 
indeed,  for  the  mind;  but  how  render  exterior 
homage  to  a past  so  far  away?  We  should 
have  to  content  ourselves  with  thanking  for 
those  mysteries  without  becoming  participants 
in  them.  But  as  it  is,  I may  adore  like  the 
shepherds;  I may  prostrate  like  the  Magi. 
We  need  have  no  regret  for  not  having  been 
at  Bethlehem  or  on  Calvary. 

II 

Ot  only  is  Jesus’  Presence  the  life  of  exte- 
rior worship,  but  it  gives  us  the  occasion 
of  offering  alms  to  Our  Lord.  Yes,  we  are 
more  happy  than  the  saints  in  this  respect. 
They  receive,  but  no  longer  give;  and  Jesus 
has  said:  « It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than 
to  receive.  » Now,  we  can  give  to  Jesus.  We 
give  Him  our  money,  our  bread,  our  time,  our 
sweat,  our  blood.  Is  not  that  the  greatest  of 
consolations  ? 

Our  Lord  comes  from  heaven  with  only  His 
goodness.  He  brings  nothing  else,  and  He  ex- 
pects from  His  faithful  ones  all  that  is  required 


THE  WORSHIP  OF  THE  EUCHARIST.  2 21 


for  His  existence  here  below.  His  temple,  the 
matter  of  His  Sacrifice,  the  lights,  the  vessels 
necessary  for  Him  to  make  Himself  a Sacra- 
ment — we  give  Him  all  that. 

Without  these  lights,  without  this  little 
throne.  Our  Lord  cannot  come  out  of  His  taber- 
nacle. We  give  them  to  Him,  and  we  may 
say  to  Him : « Thou  art  on  a beautiful  throne. 

We  raised  it  for  Thee.  We  opened  the  door 
of  Thy  prison,  and  scattered  the  cloud  that 
hid  Thee,  O Sun  of  Love!  Dart  Thy  rays 
now  into  our  hearts!  » And  Jesus  owes  a 
debt!  He  can  pay  His  debts,  and  He  will  pay 
them.  He  has  become  security  for  His  poor 
and  suffering  members : « All  that  you  do 
for  the  least  of  My  brethren,  I will  return  to 
you  a hundredfold.  » But  if  Jesus  pays  the 
debts  of  others,  much  more  surely  will  He  pay 
His  own.  On  the  Day  of  Judgment  we  may 
say  to  Him:  « We  have  visited  Thee  not  only 
in  Thy  poor,  but  in  Thyself,  in  Thy  august 
Person.  What  wilt  Thou  give  us  in  return?  » 

Worldlings  never  understand  this.  « Give, 
give  to  the  poor,  but  to  the  Church  — of  what 
use  is  that?  This  lavish  expenditure  on  altars 
is  all  a waste!  » It  is  thus  they  reason,  and 
it  is  thus  they  become  Protestants ! 


222 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


No,  the  Church  calls  for  a living  worship, 
because  she  possesses  her  Saviour  living  upon 
the  earth.  What  a happiness,  then,  to  lay  up 
eternal  funds  by  giving  to  Our  Lord!  Is  this 
something  of  no  account  ? But  that  is  not 
all.  To  give  to  Jesus  is  a consolation,  a 
happiness.  It  is  still  more  — it  is  a necessity. 

Ill 

■ Es,  it  is  a necessity  for  us  to  see  Our 
Lord,  to  feel  Him  near  us,  and  to  honor 
Him  with  our  gifts.  If  He  demanded  from  us 
only  interior  homage,  He  would  fail  to  re- 
spond to  one  of  man’s  imperious  needs,  for  we 
know  not  how  to  love  without  testifying  our 
affection  exteriorly. 

The  faith  of  Catholics  may  be  weighed  by 
their  churches.  If  the  light  is  constantly  burn- 
ing., if  the  altar  linens  are  clean  and  neat,  if  the 
ornaments  are  well  kept  — O there  is  faith! 
But  if  Our  Lord  is  left  without  ornaments  in  a 
church  that  is  more  like  a prison  — faith  is 
wanting  1 

Ah,  how  wretched  we  are  sometimes  on  these 
points  ! We  are  ready  to  help  on  all  kinds  of 
benevolent  works  — but  ask  something  for  the 


THE  WORSHIP  OF  THE  EUCHARIST.  223 


Most  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  we  have  no 
ears  to  hear.  We  contribute  to  the  adornment 
of  the  shrine  of  some  saint,  or  to  some  pilgrim- 
age to  effect  a cure,  but  to  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament  — nothing!  Will  the  King  go  in 
rags  while  the  servants  are  decked  in  orna- 
ments? We  have  no  faith,  no  active,  loving 
faith.  We  are  Protestant  in  practice,  though 
Catholic  in  name. 

Our  Lord  is  there.  We  are  incessantly  ask- 
ing Him  for  graces,  for  health,  a happy 
death,  and  we  do  not  honor  His  poverty 
by  the  least  gift!  Let  us  be  silent,  for  we 
insult  Him!  « If,  » says  St.  James,  « a poor 
man  asks  you  an  alms,  and  you  send  him  away 
without  giving  him  anything,  saying  to  him: 
Go  in  peace,  you  are  ridiculing  him,  you  are 
a murderer ! » 

Now,  see!  Here  is  Our  Lord,  and  He  has 
nothing;  He  is  expecting  everything  from  you. 
You  come  and  say  to  Him:  « I adore  Thee, 
I acknowledge  Thee  for  my  King,  I thank 
Thee  for  remaining  in  the  Eucharist,  » and 
yet  you  give  nothing  to  contribute  to  the  honor 
of  His  worship  ! You  insult  Him.  And  when 
the  priest  is  obliged  to  make  use  of  miserab^, 
shabby  ornaments,  because  he  has  no  others, 


224 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


it  is  the  fault  of  his  parishioners.  It  is  scan- 
dalous 1 For  all,  yes,  all  can  give  to  Our  Lord. 
Experience  proves  that  it  is  not  the  great  nor 
the  rich  who  contribute  to  Eucharistic  wor- 
ship, but  the  multitude  of  the  poor. 

One  day  Our  Lord  saw  unmoved  the  Phari- 
sees placing  large  smns  in  the  treasury;  but 
when  a poor  widow  threw  in  a penny,  all  that 
she  had.  He  was  filled  with  admiration.  His 
heart  was  touched,  and  He  could  not  refrain 
from  saying  to  the  Apostles:  « This  poor  wid- 
ow has  done  more  than  all  the  others,  because 
she  has  given  of  her  substance.  » And  so  he 
that  deprives  himself  of  something  that  he  may 
give  a candle,  a flower,  gives  more  than  he 
who  can  easily  make  large  offerings.  Jesus 
does  not  regard  the  greatness  of  the  gift,  but 
the  heart  that  gives. 

Give,  then,  give  to  Our  Lord.  Console  His 
abandonment;  succor  His  poverty. 


IV 


word  more.  What!  Jesus  is  here 
through  love?  — Well,  if  we  believe  in 
His  Presence',  if  we  love  Him,  how  is  it  that  we 
do  not  make  Him  some  presents?  That  is 


THE  WORSHIP  OF  THE  EUCHARIST.  225 

what  I cannot  understand.  Apart  from  the 
merit,  the  graces  you  would  gain  by  your  gifts, 
is  it  not  a great  privilege  to  be  able  to  give  to 
Our  Lord,  to  be  able  to  honor  the  King  ? 
Surely,  everyone  is  not  admitted  to  present  his 
homage  to  an  earthly  king.  An  audience  with 
royalty  is  obtained  only  through  the  influence 
of  the  great.  Would  we  even  dare  to  offer  a 
friend  in  a position  higher  than  our  own  a 
festal  bouquet?  Would  we  be  so  familiar  to- 
ward him? 

Well,  Jesus  is,  indeed,  a King,  and  it  is  He 
who  makes  the  kings  of  the  earth;  but  yet 
He  puts  aside  the  royal  etiquette  of  earth  and 
allows  us  constantly  to  present  to  Him  our  hom- 
age; He  even  expects  it. 

Ah,  what  honor  for  us  I Let  us  profit  by  it, 
for  only  here  below  can  we  give.  Yes,  here 
below  God  wills  to  receive  from  our  hands. 
Ah,  may  you  often  have  the  happiness  of 
saying:  « I have  given  to  Our  Lord!  » He 
will  give  to  you  in  return. 


1$^ 


Let  us  LOVE  the  MOST  BLESSED 
SACRAMENT. 


Diliges  Dominu7n  Deum  I Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
Uium  ex  toto  corde  tuo.  thy  God  with  thy  whole  heart. 

! (Deut.  VI,  5.) 


I 

HEN  I shall  he  elevated  above 
the  earth,  I shall  draw  all 
things  to  Myself.  It  was  first 
from  the  height  of  His  Cross 
that  Our  Lord  drew  all  souls 
to  Himself  by  redeeming 
them.  But,  surely,  in  pronouncing  these  words 
He  had  also  in  view  His  Eucharistic  throne,  to 
the  foot  of  which  He  wished  to  attract  all 
souls  that  He  might  bind  them  to  it  by  the 
chains  of  His  love. 

Our  Lord  desired  to  inspire  us  with  a pas- 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


227 


sionate  love  for  Him.  No  virtue,  no  thought 
that  does  not  end  in  ardent  desire,  that  does 
not  even  become  a passion,  will  ever  produce 
anything  great.  It  is  not  love,  it  is  only  the 
affection  of  a child,  who  loves  by  instinct  and 
because  he  feels  himself  loved,  who  loves  him- 
self in  those  that  are  good  to  him. 

A servant  may  devote  himself;  but  he  will 
love  truly  only  when  he  devotes  himself 
through  affection  for  his  masters,  without 
thought  of  personal  interest. 

Love  triumphs  only  when  it  becomes  in  us 
the  passion  of  our  life.  Without  that  we  may, 
indeed,  produce  some  acts  of  it  from  time 
to  time,  more  or  less  frequent;  but  our  life  is 
not  given  to  it,  is  not  absorbed  in  it.  Now,  so 
long  as  we  do  not  possess  a passionate  love 
for  Our  Lord  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament, 
we  shall  have  done  nothing. 

Our  Lord  certainly  loves  us  there  with  pas- 
sion, loves  blindly,  never  thinking  of  Himself, 
sacrificing  Himself  entirely  for  us.  We  must 
make  Him  a like  return. 

H 


Ur  love,  to  be  a passion,  must  be  sub- 
jected to  the  laws  of  human  passions.  I 


228 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


am  speaking  of  honorable  passions,  those  that 
are  good  by  their  very  nature ; for  they  are  in- 
different in  themselves.  We  render  them  evil 
when  we  direct  them  toward  evil,  but  it  is  in 
our  power  to  make  use  of  them  for  good. 

Now,  when  a ceitain  passion  rules  a man, 
it  concentrates  him.  One  desires  to  reach  such 
a position,  honorable  and  elevated.  He  will 
labor  only  for  that  end.  « Ten,  twenty  years, 
what  does  it  signify?  » he  says.  « I will  reach 
it  at  last.  » He  has  but  one  thought,  one 
desire,  and  everything  else  must  subserve  there- 
to. He  puts  aside  whatever  could  divert  him 
from  his  object,  whatever  does  not  tend  toward 
it. 

Another  wants  to  amass  a fortune.  He  says : 
« I shall  possess  so  much,  » and  he  fixes  a 
sum  in  his  mind.  Then  he  labors  hard.  He 
counts  no  cost,  everything  becomes ' for  him 
a means  toward  his  great  end,  outside  of  which 
he  finds  nothing  of  any  interest. 

Another  looks  forward  to  an  honorable  al- 
liance. To  him  as  to  Jacob  of  old,  seven  years 
of  service  are  as  nothing.  Like  him,  he  would 
be  willing  to  begin  all  over  again  at  the  end 
of  those  seven  years,  were  it  necessary.  « I 
shall  have  Rachel!  » And  all  his  labor,  says 


LOVE  THE  MOST  BLESSED  SACRAMENT.  229 


the  Scripture,  appears  to  him  as  nothing  on 
account  of  his  great  love. 

This  is  the  way  that  men  reach  their  end  in 
the  world.  These  pa.sions  may  become  bad. 
They  are,  alas!  very  often  the  cause  of  contin- 
ual sin,  although  they  may  be,  and  they  often 
are,  honorable. 

Without  a passion,  we  accomplish  nothing. 
Life  has  no  aim.  We  drag  out  a useless  exist- 
ence. 

Ill 

N the  order  of  salvation,  a passion  is 
necessary  to  rule  our  life  and  make  it 
produce  for  the  glory  of  God  all  the  fruits  that 
the  Lord  expects  from  us.  Let  us  love  such  or 
such  a virtue,  such  or  such  a truth,  such  a 
mystery  with  passion.  Let  us  devote  our  life 
to  it,  let  us  consecrate  our  thoughts  and  works 
to  it.  If  we  do  not,  we  shall  never  accomplish 
anything.  We  shall  be  but  day-laborers,  never 
heroes  1 

Let  us  have  a passionate  love  for  the  Eu- 
charist. Let  us  love  Our  Lord  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament  with  all  the  ardor  of  worldly 
lovers,  but  through  supernatural  motives. 

To  reach  that  point,  we  must  commence  by 


230 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


submitting  our  mind  to  the  influence  of  this 
passion.  Let  us  nourish  it  on  faith,  strongly 
persuading  ourselves  of  the  truth  of  the  Eu- 
charist, of  the  truth  of  the  love  that  Our  Lord 
there  manifests  for  us. 

We  must  form  to  ourselves  a great  idea, 
a ravishing  contemplation  of  Our  Lord’s  love 
and  presence.  We  shall  thereby  give  to  our 
love  a food  that  will  increase  its  flame,  and 
it  will  never  die  out. 

A man  of  genius  conceives  the  idea  of  a 
masterpiece.  He  embraces  it  with  all  the  ardor 
of  his  soul,  he  is  enraptured  by  it.  He  deter- 
mines to  realize  his  ideal  by  all  possible  means, 
at  the  price  of  every  sacrifice.  He  never 
wearies,  no  difficulty  daunts  him.  His  master- 
piece is  ever  before  him,  it  overrules  every 
other  thought.  He  sees  it  constantly,  and  he 
cannot  turn  his  mind  away  from  it. 

Well,  in  the  same  way,  let  us  behold  Our 
Lord  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament,  let  us 
look  at  His  love.  O how  this  thought  seizes 
upon  us,  ravishes  us ! What  I is  it  possible 
that  Our  Lord  loves  to  such  a degree  as  con- 
stantly to  give  Himself  without  wearying? 

Our  mind  fixes  itself  then  on  Our  Lord. 
All  our  thoughts  fly  toward  Him  to  study  Him. 


LOVE  THE  MOST  BLESSED  SACK  AM  h NT.  231 


We  seek  to  dive  into  the  reasons  for  so  great 
love  of  us.  We  are  amazed,  ravished  out  of  our- 
selves, and  our  heart  utters  the  ery : « How 
clan  I respond  to  such  love  ? » 

This  is  the  love  of  the  heart  that  forms  itself 
to  love.  We  love  well  only  what  we  know 
well.  And  the  heart  bounds  toward  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament!  It  bounds!  It  has  not 
the  patience  to  walk.  « Jesus  loves  me!  He 
loves  me  in  His  Sacrament!  » The  heart, 
if  it  could,  would  burst  its  envelope  of  flesh 
to  unite  itself  more  closely  with  Our  Lord. 

Behold  the  saints ! Their  love  transjwrts 
them,  inflames  them,  makes  them  suffer.  It 
is  a fire  which  consumes  them,  exhausts  their 
strength  and,  at  last,  makes  them  die.  O 
happy,  blessed  death! 


IV 


l^^jUx  if  we  go  not  so  far,  we  can  at  least 
passionately  love  Our  Lord,  and  allow 
ourselves  to  be  ruled  by  His  love. 

Do  you  love  no  one  in  the  world? 

Mothers,  have  you  not  a passionate  love 
for  your  children?  Husbands  and  wives,  do 
you  not  love  each  other  with  passion?  Chil- 
The  Divine  Eucharist.*  x6 


232  THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 

dren,  is  there  room  in  your  hearts  for  any  other 
than  your  parents? 

Ah,  well,  bring  that  love  to  bear  upon  Our 
Lord!  f i ' 

There  are  not  two  loves;  there  is  but  one. 

Our  Lord  does  not  ask  you  to  have  two 
hearts,  one  for  Him  and  another  for  those 
whom  you  love  here  below. 

Mothers,  love,  then,  the  Most  Blessed  Sac- 
rament with  your  mother-heart,  love  Jesus  as 
a Son. 

Spouses,  love  Him  as  your  S >ouse! 

Children,  love  Him  as  your  Father! 

There  is  in  you  one  same  power  of  love,  but 
tending  toward  different  objects,  and  with  dif- 
ferent motives. 

There  are  those  that  love  their  relations, 
their  friends  even  to  folly,  but  that  do  not 
know  how  to  love  the  good  God!  What  they 
do  for  the  creature,  is  what  they  ought  to  do 
for  God,  with  this  exception  only,-  that  they 
must  love  the  good  God  without  measure  and 
always  more  and  more. 

V 

Soul  that  loves  in  this  way,  has  but 
one  motive  power,  but  one  life  — Our 


LOVE  THE  MOST  BLESSED  SACRAMENT.  233 


Lord  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament.  — He 
is  there!...  She  lives  under  the  influerxe  of 
this  thought.  — He  is  there!...  There  is  then 
correspondence,  community  of  life. 

Ah,  why  do  we  not  reach  this  point?  In- 
stead of  that,  we  go  back  over  more  than 
eighteen  centuries  seeking  for  examples  of 
virtue  in  the  mortal  life  of  Our  Lord ! 

But  Our  Lord  might  say  tO'  us:  « You  have 
loved  Me  on  Calvary,  because  there  I washed 
away  your  sins ; you  have  loved  Me  at  the  Crib, 
because  there  I was  sweet  and  lovable.;  but 
why  do  you  not  love  Me  in  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment where  I am  always  with  you?  You  have 
only  to  come  to  Me.  I am  there  right  at  your 
side ! » 

Ah!  at  the  Judgment,  it  will  not  be  so 
much  our  sins  that  will  affright  us,  that  will 
reproach  us,  for  they  are  pardoned  forever. 
It  will  be  Our  Lord  who  will  reproach  us 
with  His  love! 

« Thou  hast  loved  Me  less  than  creatures,  » 
will  He  say.  « Thou  hast  not  made  Me  the 
joy  of  thy  life!  Thou  didst  love  Me  enough  not 
to  offend  Me  grievously,  but  not  enough  to  live 
for  Me!  » 


234 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


We  ask:  « Are  we  obliged  to  love  in  that 
way?  » 

I know  very  well  that  the  precept  to  love 
thus  is  nowhere  written  down,  for  there  is  no 
need  of  it!  Nothing  says  it,  but  everything 
proclaims  it.  Its  law  is  in  our  heart. 

Yes,  what  appals  me  is,  that  Christians  think 
freely  and  seriously  on  all  mysteries,  and  zeal- 
ously devote  themselves  to  the  honor  of  some 
saint  — but  Our  Lord  in  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament?  — No! 

Why,  why  is  this?  Ah!  it  is  because  they 
cannot  attentively  regard  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament  without  saying:  « I must  love  Him. 
I must  visit  Him.  I cannot  leave  Him  alone. 
He  loves  me  too  much!  » As  for  other 
mysteries,  they  are  far-off  history.  They  do 
not  touch  the  heart  as  this  does.  We  admire 
them  greatly,  but  here,  before  the  Blessed  Sac- 
rament, we  are  forced  to  devote  ourselves. 
We  must  remain  with  Our  Lord,  we  must  live 
in  Him! 

The  Eucharist  is  the  most  noble  aspiration 
of  our  heart.  Let  us,  then,  love  It  with  pas- 
sion! Some  may  say:  « O that  is  all  exag- 
geration! » I reply,  Love  is  exaggeration! 


% 


LOVE  THE  MOST  BLESSED  SACRAMENT.  235 

To  exaggerate  is  to  go  beyond  bounds.  Ah 
well,  love  must  exaggerate! 

The  love  that  Our  Lord  testifies  for  us  by 
abiding  with  us  destitute  of  honors  and  attend- 
ants, — is  that  not,  also,  exaggerated? 

He  who  desires  to  restrict  himself  to  what 
he  is  absolutely  bound,  does  not  love.  We 
love  only  when  we  feel  the  passion  of  love. 

You  will  love  the  Eucharist  with  passion 
when  Our  Lord  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament 
will  be  your  habitual  thought,  when  your  hap- 
piness will  be  to  come  to  His  feet,  your  con- 
stant desire  to  give  Him  pleasure. 

Come,  let  us  enter  into  Our  Lord!  Let  us 
love  Him  a little  for  Himself.  Let  us  try 
to  forget  self,  and  give  ourselves  to  this  good 
Saviour!  Let  us  sacrifice  self  a little.  Look 
at  these  candles,  that  lamp,  consuming  them- 
selves without  sparing  anything,  reserving  any- 
thing. 

Why  shall  we  not  be  for  Our  Lord  a holo- 
caust of  which  nothing  remains? 

No,  we  live  no  longer,  but  Jesus  Eucharistic 
alone  lives  in  us!  He  loves  us  so  much! 


t 


^ ^ '4^' '4*' '4*' 


§v  THE  EUCHARIST,  OUR  WAY. 


jEgo  sum  Z'ia,  veritas,  et  I I am  the  way,  the  truth, and 
vita.  I the  life.  (John  xiv,  i6.) 

Ur  Lord  uttered  these  words 
when  He  was  among  men,  but 
they  extend  beyond  the  Sav- 
iour’s human  life.  They  ap- 
ply forever,  and  He  can  repeat 
them  with  as  much  truth  now 
in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament.  There  are 
some  conventional  routes  in  the  way  of  the 
spiritual  life  that  we  may  follow  for  a time 
and  then  abandon.  Our  Lord  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  is  the  only  enduring  way.  He  is 
the  means.  He  is  the  model;  for  it  would  be 
of  little  use  to  us  to  Joiow*  the  way  if  He  did  not 
teach  us  by  His  example  to  follow  it.  We 
shall  reach  heaven  only  by  our  participation  in 
the  life  of  Our  Lord.  The  germ  of  this  life  is 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


237 


given  to  us  in  Baptism,  and  the  Sacraments 
develop  it;  but,  above  all,  it  consists  in  the 
practise  and  imitation  of  the  Saviour’s  virtues. 
We  must  behold  Our  Saviour  at  work  in  order 
to  imitate  His  virtues,  to  follow  Him  in  all  the 
circumstances  of  the  sacrifices  and  labors  that 
He  demands  of  us.  His  virtues  are  His  words 
reduced  to  action.  His  precepts  in  practice. 
To  reach  perfection,  we  must  look  at  them  in 
detail,  for  there  is  nothing  perfect  that  is  not 
particularized:  Non  est  perfectum  nisi  particu- 
lar e.  Wishing  to  lead  us  to  His  Father,  and 
not  being  able  to  practise  in  heaven  the  human 
virtues,  which  all  suggest  the  idea  of  combat 
and  sacrifice,  the  Eternal  Word  be:ame  Man. 
He  took  man’s  tools,  and  He  labored  under  his 
eyes.  And  as  in  heaven,  to  which  He  ascended 
glorious  and  triumphant.  He  can  no  longer 
practise  our  virtues  of  patience,  poverty,  and 
humility,  He  became  a Sacrament  in  order 
to  continue  our  model.  These  virtues  are  no 
longer  free,  no  longer  meritorious;  they  form 
His  state,  He  is  clothed  with  them.  Formerly 
He  practised  them  in  action,  now  He  has 
clothed  His  very  state  with  them.  When  on 
earth.  He  was  humble  and  humbled;  today  He 
reigns  glorious,  but  under  a condition,  an  ap- 


238 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


pearance  of  humility  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment. He  unites  in  Himself  the  state  of  the 
virtues  in  a manner  inseparable.  In  contem- 
plating Him,  we  see  His  virtues,  and  we  under- 
stand how  we  ought  to  produce  their  acts. 
Take  away  Its  humiliation,  and  the  sacramental 
state  ceases  to  exist.  Take  away  Its  poverty, 
surround  It  by  a magnificent  cortege,  and  we 
would  be  annihilated  before  Its  majesty;  love 
would  disappear,  for  love  manifests  itself  only 
in  descending  to  the  object  loved.  Patience 
and  forgiveness  He  still  practises  in  a higher 
degree  than  on  Calvary.  There  His  executioners 
knew  Him  not;  here  they  know  Him,  and  yet 
insult  Him.  He  prays  for  so  many  deicide 
cities  from  which  He  is  proscribed.  Without 
this  cry  for  pardon,  there  would  no  longer  be 
the  Sacrament  of  Love,  for  justice  would  sur- 
round and  protect  His  insulted  throne.  The 
act  of  virtue.  He  no  longer  practises,  for  He 
possesses  its  state.  It  is  for  us  to  produce  the 
act,  and  thus  complete  the  state.  In  that  way. 
He  makes  with  us  but  one  moral  person.  We 
are  His  acting  members.  His  body,  of  which 
He  is  the  Head,  the  Heart,  so  that  He  may 
say:  « I still  live.  » We  complete  Him,  we 
perpetuate  Him. 


THE  EUCHARIST,  OUR  WAY. 


239 


There,  then,  in  the  Sacrament,  Jesus  gives 
us  the  model  of  all  the  virtues.  Let  us  study 
some  of  them  in  detail.  Nothing  is  so  beauti- 
ful as  the  Eucharist! 

But  pious  souls  only,  they  who  communicate, 
who  reflect,  can  comprehend  It.  Others  un- 
derstand nothing.  There  are  few  who  think 
of  the  virtues,  the  life,  the  state  of  Our  Lord 
in  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  They  treat  Him  like 
a statue.  They  think  He  is  there  only  to  par- 
don us,  to  receive  our  petitions.  That  is  false. 
Our  Lord  is  living  and  acting.  Let  us  look  at 
Him.  Let  us  study  Him.  Let  us  imitate  Him. 
They  who  do  not  do  so,  are  obliged  to  go  back 
eighteen  centuries,  to  read  the  Gospel,  and  to 
supplement  it  by  so  many  familiar  details. 
They  are  deprived  of  the  sweetness  of  His 
actual  and  present  word : « I am  the  way 
even  now.  I — 1 am  the  way  1 » Doubtless, 
truth  never  faileth,  and  the  Gospel  is  an  ever- 
living  book.  But  what  a labor  always  to  look 
back!  And  after  all  our  labor,  to  have  only 
a representation.  It  is  speculative,  and  does 
not  sustain  virtue  as  does  the  reality.  Virtues 
are  easily  acquired  and  practised  by  means  of 
the  Eucharist.  Let  us  remember  that  Our 
Lord  is  not  in  the  Eucharist  only  as  a dispens- 


240 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


er  of  His  graces;  He  is  there  also  and  above 
all,  as  our  way  and  our  model.  Education  is 
carried  on  in  the  presence  of  the  child  and 
the  teacher,  by  a secret  correspondence  such 
as  exists  between  the  heart  of  the  morher  and 
that  of  the  child.  A stranger  has  no  influence, 
but  the  mother’s  voice  vibrates  in  the  heart  of 
the  child.  We  shall  have  in  us  the  life  of  Our 
Lord  if  we  live  under  His  inspiration,  if  He 
rears  us  Himself.  Another  may  point  out  to 
us  the  way  of  virtue,  but  to  give  us  those  vir- 
tues, to  educate  us  in  them  — none  but  Our 
Lord  can  do  that.  Moses  and  Josue  led  the 
Chosen  People,  but  they  themselves  were  con- 
ducted by  the  pillar  of  fi'-e.  In  the  same  way, 
a spiritual  director  only  repeats  to  us  the 
words  of  Our  Lord.  He  consults  Him.  He 
seeks  Our  Lord  in  us,  that  is,  the  grace  and 
the  particular  attraction  that  He  has  imparted 
to  our  soul.  In  order  to  know  us,  he  studies  to 
know  Our  Lord  in  us,  and  he  leads  us  accord- 
ing to  our  special  grace  which  He  develops 
and  applies  to  our  life  under  the  conduct  of 
the  Sovereign  Director  of  souls.  He  has  only 
to  repeat  His  orders  to  us.  Ah  well!  Our 
Lord  is  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  for  all  of  us, 
and  not  alone  for  the  directors  of  souls.  We 


THE  EUCHARIST,  OUR  WAY. 


24 


can  all  S3e  Him  there  and  consult  Him  there. 
Let  us  look  at  Him  practising  the  virtues,  and 
we  shall  know  what  we  ought  to  do.  If 
we  read  the  Gospel,  let  us  refer  it  to  the  Eu- 
charist, and  from  the  Eucharist  apply  it  to  our- 
selves. We  then  have  a much  greater  power. 
The  Gospel  enlightens,  and  in  the  Eucharist 
we  really  have  under  our  eyes  the  continuation 
of  what  we  have  read  in  it.  Our  Lord,  who  is 
the  Model,  is  also  the  light  that  shows  us  that 
Model  and  discovers  to  us  its  beauty.  Our 
Lord  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  is  His  own 
light.  His  own  knowledge,  as  the  sun  is  its  own 
proof  of  existence.  It  rises  and  makes  itself 
known.  This  requires  no  reasoning.  A child 
does  not  reason  in  order  to  recognize  its  par- 
ents. And  so  does  Our  Lord  manifest  Him- 
self by  His  Presence,  His  reality.  But  in  the 
measure  that  we  know  His  voice  better,  that 
our  heart  is  more  empty  and  more  sympathetic, 
does  Our  Lord  manifest  Himself  under  a more 
luminous  light  and  in  a more  intimate  manner. 
They  alone  know  this  who  love.  He  then 
gives  to  the  soul  a divine  conviction  which 
eclipses  all  light  of  natural  reason.  Look  at 
Magdalen!  A single  word  from  Jesus,  and 
she  has  recognized  Him!  Thus  in  the  Blessed 


242 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Sacrament,  He  says  but  one  word,  but  how  it 
resounds  in  our  heart:  « It  is  I!  »...  And 
we  feel  Him,  we  believe  Him  more  firmly  than 
if  we  saw  Him  with  our  bodily  eyes.  This 
Eucharistic  manifestation  ought  to  be  the  start- 
ing point  of  all  the  acts  of  our  life.  All  virtues 
should  take  their  rise  in  the  Eucharist.  Do 
we  wish  to  practise  humility?  Let  us  look  how 
Jesus  practises  it  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament. 
Let  us  turn  away  from  this  light,  this  know- 
ledge, and  go  to  the  Crib,  if  we  wish,  or  to 
Calvary.  We  shall  find  that  we  can  go  thither 
easily,  because  it  is  according  to  the  nature  of 
our  intelligence  to  proceed  from  the  known 
to  the  unknown.  In  the  Sacrament  we  have 
Our  Lord’s  humility  under  our  eyes.  It  will 
be  much  easier  for  us  after  that  to  suppose 
what  it  was  in  His  birth,  or  under  any  other 
circumstances.  Let  us  do  this  in  regard  to  all 
the  virtues.  We  shall  then  understand  the 
Gospel  more  clearly.  Our  Lord  speaks  by 
His  state.  Better  than  anyone  else  can  He 
explain  and  make  us  understand  His  words  and 
His  mysteries.  He  gives  us  more  unction  to 
make  us  relish  them  at  the  same  time  that  we 
comprehend  them.  We  no  longer  look  for  the 
mine  since  we  are  in  it,  exploring  it.  It  is  only 


THE  EUCHARIST,  OUR  WAY. 


243 


by  the  Eucharist  that  we  feel  the  full  force 
of  these  words  of  the  Saviour:  « Ego  sum  via 
— I am  the  way!  » Let  our  spiritual  study 
be,  then,  to  contemplate  the  Eucharist,  to  seek 
in  It  the  example  of  what  we  have  to  do  in  all 
1 circumstances  of  the  Christian  life.  It  is  in 
this  method  that  consists,  and  by  it  is  nourished, 
it  we  become  Eucharistic  in  our  own  life.  By 
it  we  are  sanctified  according  to  the  grace  of 
the  Eucharist. 


ANNIHILATION, 


the  GHARAGTKRISTIG 


of  EUGHARISTIG  HOLINESS. 


Exinanivit  sejnetipsum.  I He  emptied  Himself. 

I (Philip,  ii,  7.) 

Jr  Lord  in  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament  is  our  Model,  since 
He  teaches  us  the  virtues  that 
make  saints.  Let  us  to  that 
end  consider  His  state  therein, 
for  the  form  of  His  life  will 
constitute  the  form  of  our  virtues.  In  study- 
ing how  He  is  in  the  Eucharist,  we  shall 
discover  what  He  wills,  for  the  exterior  is 
an  indication  of  the  interior.  By  words  and 
actions,  we  get  a glimpse  of  the  soul.  When 
we  regarded  Our  Lord  poor  and  conversing 
with  the  poor,  we  knew  that  He  had  come  to 


thp:  divink  eucharist. 


245 


save  us  through  poverty.  When  He  died  for 
us,  He  showed  us  what  we  have  to  do  to  go  to 
heaven.  Now,  the  state  of  Our  Lord  in  the 
Blessed  Sacrament,  the  characteristic  that  dom- 
inates' It,  that  makes  an  impression  on  us, 
is  annihilation.  This  state  ought,  then,  to 
make  us  comprehend  His  occupations,  His 
virtues,  which  all  share,  each  in  its  own  way, 
this  form,  this  seal  of  annihilation  and  humility. 
Study  this  annihilation,  and  you  will  know  what 
you  have  to  do  to  resemble  your  Model,  and 
live  in  the  grace  of  Eucharistic  holiness.  Re- 
call that  it  is  the  dominant  characteristic  of 
Jesus  Eucharistic,  and  that,  it  must  be  yours, 
alsoi,  if  you  wish  to  abide^in  the  grace  of  the 
Eucharist. 

I 

Lord  in  the  Sacred  Host  assumes  the 
state  of  the  Sacred  Species.  He  re- 
places their  substance.  He  has  subordinated 
His  own  state  to  the  manner  of  being  of  the 
species,  which  becomes  the  form  of  His  life, 
which  makes  the  law  of  His  duration.  He  is, 
as  it  were,  their  subject.  He  is  submissive 
to  them,  He  depends  on  them.  True,  they 
touch  not  upon  His  divine  life,  and  when  they 


246 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


cease  to  exist,  He  suffers  no  detriment  to  His 
glorified  Body,  He  simply  withdraws.  He  is 
united  to  them,  undergoing  their  laws  ’of  move- 
ment and  humiliation.  He  is  treated  as  they 
are.  In  seeing  them,  we  see  the  state,  the 
exterior  manner  of  Our  Lord’s  existence. 

Now,  the  species  are  poor,  so  poor  that  they 
no  longer  possess  their  own  attributes.  Con- 
secration has  destroyed  the  substance  to  which 
nature  had  attached  them.  They  have  no 
longer  the  natural  properties  of  their  existence, 
and  they  exist  only  by  a miracle.  And  so, 
too,  with  Our  Lord.  He  has  nothing  in  the 
Blessed  Sacrament.  He  brings  nothing  from 
heaven  but  Himself.  He  owns  not  a stone, 
not  a church.  H'e  is  as  poor  as  are  the  Sacred 
Species,  poorer,  then,  than  at  Bethlehem. 
There  He  possessed  Himself;  there  He  had  a 
body  that  could  move,  that  spoke,  that  could 
assimilate,  could  grow,  and  receive  from  His 
friends.  But  here  in  the  Host,  He  has  nothing. 
They  make  Him  presents,  but  that  does  not 
change  His  personal  state.  Let  the  altar  be  of 
gold  and  resplendent  with  a thousand  lights, 
Jesus  is  not  less  poor  nor  less  obscure  under 
the  Sacred  Species.  He  is  civilly  dead,  pow- 
erless to  receive  anything.  He  is  a dead 


CHARACTERISTIC  OF  HOLINESS.  247 


man!  The  honor  of  the  religious  who  makes 
the  vow  of  poverty  is  to  resemble  Him.  Jesus 
is,  as  it  were,  imprisoned,  bound  in  a winding- 
sheet,  which  forms  His  whole  clothing,  and 
which  is  always  the  same,  a garment  which  is 
even  not  a substance  nor  a natural  being,  so 
frail  tha^t,  if  the  miracle  ceased,  it,  too,  would 
be  instantly  destroyed.  Behold  the  great  Poor 
Man!  To  make  the  vow  of  poverty,  we  need 
to  see  Him  and  consider  Him!  Study  His 
poverty,  which  is  that  of  the  Host,  and  you  will 
understand  how  far  you  ought  to  carry  the 
spirit  of  detachment  and  poverty. 

Still  more,  the  species  are  very  humble. 
They  are  always  white,  but  white  is  not  a 
color,  and  the  prolonged  sight  of  it  is  tiresome. 
And  so,  Our  Lord  has  no  visible  beauty  in 
the  Sacrament,  no  human  beauty  — He  who 
was  so  beautiful  in  life,  « the  most  beautiful 
among  the  children  of  men.  » The  cloud  that 
envelops  Him  allows  nothing  to  be  perceived. 
The  lowest  of  men  is  yet  more  exalted  than 
Our  Lord,  for  he  is  still  some  one.  Our  Lord 
has  willed  to  assume  the  law  of  the  species,  and 
to  be  only  some  thing. 

The  species  are  immovable  and  inanimate. 
Jesus,  the  Word,  the  Life  of  the  world,  the 
The  Divine  Ei;cha,rist.  17 


248 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


supreme  Mover  of  all  beings,  the  Life  of  all 
lives,  is  condemned  to  remain  motionless  and 
inactive.  He  is  imprisoned.  He  is  there  re- 
duced to  such  a point  that,  however  small  may 
be  the  Host,  He  is  still  in  It  whole  and  entire. 
He  has  in  Himself  life  and  movement,  but  He 
makes  no  use  of  them,  because  He  has  subject- 
ed Himself  to  the  condition  of  the  inanimate 
species.  Men  may  insult  and  spurn  Him,  but 
He  will  not  defend  Himself.  If  He  could 
suffer.  He  would  endure  more  in  the  Host  than 
He  did  during  His  life. 

But  we  know  what  the  Prophet  says  in  His 
person : « I am  a worm  of  the  earth,  and 
no  man.  » The  worm  is  the  lowest  in  the 
animal  creation,  just  one  step  above  the 
vegetable  kingdom.  The  worm  is  destitute  of 
covering,  while  other  living  things,  even  the 
caterpillar,  have  a fur,  or  some  kind  of  ves- 
ture. He  was  like  to  a worm  of  the  earth  on 
the  Cross  when  they  exposed  Him  naked  to 
the  insults  of  the  executioners;  but  that  was 
but  for  a very  short  time.  In  the  Sacrament, 
He  does  not  become  a worm  of  the  earth,  but 
He  is  exposed  to  being  associated  with  worms. 
How  many  Sacred  Hosts  are  spoiled  by  acci- 
dent or  want  of  care!  They  decay,  they  rot, 


CHARACTERISTIC  OF  HOLINESS. 


249 


worms  are  generated  in  them,  and  they  force 
Our  Lord  to  withdraw,  for  He  remains  under 
the  species  only  as  long  as  they  are  sound. 
Worms  then  take  His  place.  When  the  Host  is 
in  process  of  decomposition,  half  destroyed, 
Jesus  Christ  takes  refuge  in  the  remaining 
sound  part.  The  Host  is  now  disputed  be- 
tween Jesus  Christ  and  the  worms  of  decompo- 
sition! He  has  assumed  all  the  miseries  of  the 
Sacred  Species  as  to  its  manner  of  external 
being:  « Futredini  dixi^  Pater  meus  est ; ma- 
ter mea  et  soror  mea,  vermihus  — I have  said 
to  rottenness : Thou  art  my  father ; to  worms, 
my  mother  and  my  sister.  » 

Lastly,  the  species  have  no  will.  Men  take 
them  up  and  carry  them  wherever  they  wish. 
No  m^atter  whoi  it  is  that  commands  Him,  Jesus 
never  resists,  never  says  no.  He  allows  Him- 
self to  be  taken  into  the  hands  of  a miscreant. 
That  is  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  state  that 
He  has  chosen.  He  never  defends  Himself. 
Society  avenges  aggression  by  the  punishment 
of  the  aggressor,  but  Our  Lord  permits  every- 
thing... Why?...  Up  to  what  point?... 

He  was  annihilated  on  Calvary  with  regard 
to  the  happiness  and  glory  of  His  Divinity, 
and  also  in  respect  to  the  rest  of  mankind. 


250 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Yes,  without  doubt;  but  it  is  here  in  the  Host 
that  the  real  annihilation  comes  in.  The  very 
lowest  degree  of  creation  is  to  possess  no  sub- 
stance at  all,  to  be  but  an  accident,  a quality; 
now,  Jesus  Christ,  who  cannot  lose  His  own 
substance,  assumes  the  external  state,  the  con- 
dition of  simple,  natural  accidents.  All  this  He 
does  in  order  to  say  to  us : « See,  and  do  as 

I do.  » Oh,  never  can  it  happen  in  our  imi- 
tation of  Him,  to  descend  as  low  as  He!  Our 
eternal  regret  will  be  to  have  thought  so  little 
on  the  abasement  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament. 


II 


kg^HE  annihilation  of  Jesus  eclipses  all  that 
is  glorious  in  Him.  If  He  should  per- 
mit His  glory  to  appear.  He  would  no  longer 
be  our  Model  of  annihilation,  and  we  might, 
also,  have  to  seek  for  the  glory  and  the  majesty 
of  the  virtues.  But  have  you  seen  Jesus’  glory 
in  the  Blessed  Sacrament?  No,  for  It  is  truly 
a veiled  Sun.  He  has  sometimes  performed 
miracles  in  It;  but  they  are  rare,  and  they 
recall  and  lead  to  a better  understanding  of 
His  Eucharistic  annihilation.  Jesus  wills  to 


CHARACTERISTIC  OF  HOLINESS.  25  I 


be  entirely  hidden.  He  is  greater  in  working 
no  miracles  than  in  performing  them.  It  is 
His  love,  then,  that  binds  His  hands,  for  if  we 
beheld  His  glory,  He  could  no  longer  say  to 
us : « Discite  a me  — Look  upon  Me ! See 

how  meek  and  humble  of  Heart  I am!  » No, 
He  would  frighten  us. 

In  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  He  eclipses  His 
Divinity  much  more  than  during  His  mortal 
life,  for  then  there  was  always  seen  something 
divine  in  His  countenance,  in  His  bearing. 
And  so,  before  mocking  Him,  the  pr^torians 
blindfolded  His  eyes,  those  eyes  so  beautiful! 
But  here  in  the  Host,  we  see  nothing,  nothing! 
Sometimes  our  imagination  tries  to  paint  His 
features  as  they  are  in  the  Host,  but  it  cannot 
produce  the  reality.  If  we  only  could  see  Him 
some  one  day  in  the  year,  or  once  in  our  life! 
No,  He  has  hidden  His  glory  behind  an  impen- 
etrable cloud. 

This  annihilation  Jesus  Christ  practises  in 
His  glorified  state,  in  a positive,  and  not  mere- 
ly a negative,  manner.  He  humbles  himself 
negatively  who,  being  a sinner,  unworthy  of 
God’s  favors,  recognizes  his  misery  and  noth- 
ingness. It  is  easy  for  him  to  acknowledge 
that  he  has  nothing  good,  since  he  produces 


252 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


only  fruits  of  evil.  But  positive  humility  is 
practised  in  good,  in  the  face  of  merited 
praise,  in  the  glory  that  it  offers  to  God,  a 
glory  of  which  it  voluntarily  deprives  itself  as 
a homage  to  Him.  This  is  the  lesson  that 
Jesus  teaches  us  by  His  Eucharistic  annihila- 
tion. 

Humble  yourself  in  your  virtues.  Certainly, 
the  Christian  is  great  I He  is  the  friend,  the 
heir  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  participates  in  His 
divine  nature.  His  grace  makes  of  him  the 
tem.ple  and  the  instrument  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
And  the  priest,  the  minister  of  the  most  sublime 
mysteries,  who  commands  even  God  Himself, 
who  sanctifies  and  saves  souls,  who  directs 
them  to  God,  how  great  he  is ! Both  Christian 
and  priest,  in  considering  their  sublime  dignity, 
might  have  good  reason  to  exalt  themselves  as 
did  the  angels  in  heaven,  as  did  Lucifer  in 
glory ! 

If  Our  Lord  were  satisfied  with  magnifying 
us  as  He  has  done,  we  might  run  great  risk  of 
being  lost  through  pride.  But  Jesus  Christ 
annihilates  His  own  glory.  His  own  greatness, 
and  cries  to  us:  « Behold  how  I humble 
Myself!  Truly,  I am  greater  than  thou,  yet 
see  what  account  I make  of  My  greatness,  and 


CHARACTERISTIC  OF  HOLINESS.  253 


what  I have  become!  » If  Our  Lord  were 
not  there  abasing  His  glory,  we  could  not  say 
to  you:  Be  humble!  for  you  could  respond: 
x<  We  are  princes  of  grace!  » That  is  true, 
but  look  at  your  King!  It  is  this  thought  that 
brings  to  their  knees  before  Our  Lord  the 
Bishops  and  the  Pope  himself ! On  seeing 
them  annihilated  in  His  Presence,  we  confess 
that  God  alone  is  truly  great. 

But  what  would  happen  if  there  were  no 
Eucharist?  Behold  it  in  other  religions.  In 
them  what  has  become  of  humility?  The  Prot- 
estant, aiming  and  laboring  at  elevating  him- 
self, knows  nothing  higher  than  to  despise  the 
great.  No  one  is  so  proud  and  haughty  as  the 
respectable  Protestant.  The  Eucharist  is  not 
in  his  life,  consequently,  humility,  also,  is  ab- 
sent from  it.  And  Catholics  who  live  not  of  the 
Eucharist  — do  we  not  see  them  crowning 
themselves  with  their  good  works?  Nothing  is 
so  excellent  as  Christian  eulogiums  well  merit- 
ed, but  one  may  easily  pass  for  a saint  by 
multiplying  good  works. 

Whence  comes  our  pride,  that  spiritual  pride, 
which  rests  on  graces  and  gifts  received  from 
God,  on  a circle  of  holy  and  virtuous  friends, 
on  the  influence  one  may  have  over  souls,  ex- 


254 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


cepting  from  forgetfulness  of  the  Eucharist? 
Does  this  pride  attack  you  when  you  commun- 
icate? Listen  to  Jesus  present  in  you  and 
saying:  « What!  you  exalt  yourself  on  ac- 
count of  the  dignities  and  graces  that  I have 
bestowed  on  you,  the  love  of  preference  that  I 
have  borne  you  I But  1 — I annihilate  My- 
self! Do,  then,  at  least  as  I do!  » 

To  meditate  on  Our  Lord  annihilated  in  the 
Sacrament,  is  the  true  road  to  humility.  We 
understand  that  His  annihilation  is  the  greatest 
proof  of  His  love,  and  that  it  ought  to  show 
forth  ours,  also.  We  then  see  that  we  ought  to 
descend  to  Our  Lord,  who  has  taken  rank 
among  the  lowest  created  beings. 

Behold  true  humility,  which  renounces  every- 
thing belonging  to  it,  which  refers  to  God  all 
the  honor  and  dignity  that  it  receives!  Many 
are  of  the  opinion  that  they  can  humble  them- 
selves only  for  their  sins  and  miseries,  and  not 
for  the  good,  the  supernatural  greatness  that 
may  be  theirs.  Certainly,  to  refer  to  God  all 
good  is  the  humility  of  homage,  the  most  per- 
fect humility.  Our  Lord  teaches  us  this,  and 
the  nearer  we  approach  Him,  the  more  we 
humble  ourselves  as  He  does.  Look  at  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  stainless,  without  defect  or 


CHARACTERISTIC  OF  HOLINESS. 


255 


imperfection,  but  all  beautiful,  all  perfect,  all 
brilliant  by  her  immaculate  grace  and  constant 
co-operation.  She  humbles  herself  more  than 
any  other  creature.  Humility  consists  in  rec- 
ognizing that  we  are  nothing  without  God, 
and  in  referring  to  Him  all  that  we  are.  The 
more  perfect  the  soul,  the  greater  the  humility, 
because  it  has  more  to  give  to  God.  In  the 
same  proportion  that  graces  elevate,  should  we 
descend.  Our  graces  are  the  degrees  of  our 
humility.  The  Eucharist  teaches  us  to  refer  to 
God  all  glory  and  greatness,  and  not  merely  to 
humble  ourselves  in  view  of  our  miseries. 

And  what  a lasting  lesson ! Every  Eucharistic 
soul  ought  to  become  humble.  The  vicinity, 
the  associating  with  Jesus  ought  to  render  us 
such  that  we  would  think  and  act  only  under 
the  impulse  of  His  annihilated  Divinity.  He 
who  would  wish  to  feed  his  pride  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Eucharist  would  be  a demon  I it 
is  sufficient  tO'  look  upon  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment to  feel  the  need  of  annihilating  self.  The 
Church  places  us  on  our  knees  in  the  posture 
of  humility  and  annihilation  before  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament.  Such  is  the  humility  of 
Jesus’  state.  Let  us  now  look  at  the  humility  of 
His  action. 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


256 


III 

Lord  works  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sac- 
rament.  He  labors,  He  is  the  Media- 
tor, He  saves  souls.  He  applies  His  redemp- 
tion to  us  and  sanctifies  us.  His  action  is 
extended  over  all  His  creatures.  He  is  the 
Word  by  whose  single  word  all  things  were 
created,  and  by  which  all  are  conserved.  He 
continues  to  pronounce  the  fiat  which  conserves 
life  in  all  creation.  Not  only  is  He  the  Crea- 
tor, but  He  is  the  Reformer,  the  Restorer,  and 
the  King  of  all  the  earth.  He  has  received  all 
nations  under  His  empire,  and  the  Father  acts 
upon  the  world  only  through  Him.  He  rules 
the  world.  The  word  of  command  by  which 
He  governs,  comes  forth  from  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament.  He  holds  in  His  hand  the  life  of 
all  beings.  He  is  the  Judge  of  the  living  and 
the  dead. 

Sovereigns,  in  saying  or  doing  anything  of 
importance,  assume  royal  pomp.  That  is  nec- 
essary, for  man  is  governed  by  love  or  fear. 

But  Our  Lord!  — Where  is  the  royal  state  of 
this  King  to  whom  belongs  all  power  in  heaven 
and  on  earth?  Where  is  His  glory?  Where 
the  majesty  of  His  words  and  actions?  At 


CHARACTERISTIC  OF  HOLINESS.  257 


every  instant,  millions  of  angels  go  forth  and 
return  to  the  tabernacle  after  having  accom- 
plished His  orders.  The  tabernacle  is  their 
centre,  their  headquarters,  for  there  they  find 
the  Commander-in-chief  of  the  celestial  army. 
Do  you  see?  Do  you  understand?  All  crea- 
tures obey  Him,  and  we  know  nothing  of  it. 
See  how  He  knows  to  conceal  His  action! 
See  how  He  knows  to  command  in  annihila- 
tion! And  men  who  command  their  fellow- 
men,  think  themselves  something!  They  give 
their  orders  in  a high  and  domineering  tone, 
thinking  by  that  to  command  more  effectually! 
Ah,  what  a lesson  for  superiors,  the  heads  of 
the  house ! All  in  command  ought  to  be 
humble  in  imitation  of  Our  Lord  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament. 

Let  us  again  remark  the  humility  of  Our 
Lord.  He  does  not  command  men  in  His 
visible  form,  because  if  He  did,  they  would  no 
longer  obey  anyone  but  Him;  so  He  hides 
Himself  that  we  may  obey  men  like  ourselves, 
who  are  clothed  with  a reflection  of  His 
authority  and  humility! 

Again,  Our  Lord  hides  the  holiness  of  His 
works.  Sanctity  possesses  two  properties : one, 
the  interior  life  of  the  soul  with  God,  and  that 


258 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


is  the  principal  one,  in  which  consist  perfection 
and  life.  Generally  that  is  sufficient,  is  every- 
thing. It  consists  in  the  interior  contemplation 
and  immolation  of  the  soul.  The  other  is  the 
exterior  life. 

Contemplation  consists  in  the  soul’s  rela- 
tions with  God,  the  angels,  and  the  spiritual 
world.  It  is  the  life  of  prayer,  which  gives 
sanctity  its  value,  and  which  is  the  root  of  char- 
ity and  love.  Now  this  life  must  be  hidden. 
God  alone  should  have  the  secret  of  it!  Man 
only  insinuates  pride  into  it.  God  reserves  it 
for  Himself,  and  He  desires  to  retain  the  di- 
rection of  it.  A saint  even  cannot  direct  it. 
ft  is  the  nuptial  relation  of  the  soul  with  God, 
and  it  is  formed  in  the  secret  of  the  oratory 
with  closed  doors:  « Intra  in  cuhiculum  ety 
clauso  ostiOy  ora  Fatrem  in  abscondito  — Enter 
into  thy  chamber  and,  having  shut  the  door, 
pray  to  thy  Father  in  secret.  » God  listens  to 
Him  that  makes  his  prayer  in  secret.  Men 
wish  always  to  be  acting,  or  thinking  on  what 
they  shall  do,  on  what  they  shall  say  in  such 
or  such  circumstances.  They  do  not  possess 
the  key  to  prayer,  they  do  not  know  how  to  be 
silent!  Behold  Our  Lord!  He  prays,  He  is 
grand  Suppliant  of  the  Church!  He  ob- 


CHARACTERISTIC  OF  HOLINESS.  259 


tains  more  by  His  prayer  than  all  creatures  put 
together,  but  He  prays  in  His  annihilation. 
Who  see,  who  hear  His  supplications?  The 
Apostles  saw  Him  praying  when  on  earth,  and 
they  could  hear  His  groanings  in  the  Garden 
of  Olives.  But  here  in  the  tabernacle  — no 
sound!  His  prayer  is  here  deeply  annihilated, 
but  it  is  so  much  the  more  powerful  as  it  is 
immolated.  Squeeze  a sponge,  and  it  gives 
out  the  fluid  that  it  holds.  Compression  is 
necessary  for  great  force  of  expansion.  Ah, 
well!  Our  Lord  annihilates  Himself,  reduces 
Himself  to  nothing,  compresses  Himself  that 
His  love  may  rise  to  His  Father  with  infinite 
force. 

The  contemplative  soul  finds  its  Model  in 
the  tabernacle.  It  wishes  to  be  alone  and 
unknown.  It  shrinks,  concentres  itself.  How 
many  souls,  despised  by  the  world,  are  all- 
powerful  with  God,  because  their  prayer  par- 
takes of  the  quality  of  the  humble  and  annihil 
ated  prayer  of  Jesus  Eucharistic!  To  nourish 
and  sustain  this  hidden  and  concentrated  prayer, 
they  have  need  of  the  Eucharist.  Should  they 
shut  themselves  up  in  self,  they  would  lose 
their  mind.  Jesus  alone  by  His  sweetness  can 
temper  the  force  of  such  prayer. 


26o 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


The  interior  life  consists,  besides,  in  immola- 
tion. The  soul  in  prayer  must  be  free  and 
tranquil;  the  senses,  the  body,  the  faculties, 
must  maintain  silence.  Thus,  every  soul  that 
desires  to  labor  interiorly,  has  to  sustain  in 
itself  a combat  to  which  none  other  can  be 
compared. 

Our  Lord’s  annihilated  life  is  again  our 
model.  Who  immolates  self  more  than  He? 
We  say  He  no  longer  suffers.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  suffer  actually.  To  immolate  one’s 
self  it  suffices  to  enter  into  the  state  and  the 
will  of  sacrifice.  It  is  a mistake  to  think 
that  pain  felt  externally  and  actually  makes  all 
the  merit  of  sacrifice.  Many  persons  say : « I 

have  no  merit,  because  nothing  costs  me  any- 
thing. All  comes  easy  to  me,  therefore  I am 
doing  nothing  for  God.  » Such  thoughts  lead 
one  to  abandon  the  way  of  sanctity.  They 
spring  from  the  fact,  that  piety  loves  so  much 
to  see  whajt  it  is  doing,  to  feel  that  it  is  acting 
and  offering! 

But,  tell  me,  the  first  sacrifice  that  you  had 
to  make  for  the  practice  of  such  or  such  a 
virtue,  did  that  cost  you  nothing?  Did  the 
repetition  of  the  act  cost  nothing?  Does  not 
that  prove  the  perseverance  of  your  will  ? 


CHARACTERISTIC  OF  HOLINESS. 


261 


Know  that  sacrifice  consists  in  the  will.  Now, 
although  by  habit  the  pain  of  sacrifice  becomes 
less  lively,  the  will  remains  constant,  and  is 
even  strengthened  by  habit.  The  agony,  the 
death  to  self,  belongs  to  the  beginning,  the 
first  offering.  After  that,  peace  returns;  but 
the  merit  lasts  and  is  increased  by  the  repeti- 
tion and  continuance  of  the  sacrifice.  Filial 
love  sustains  heroic  sacrifices  with  simplicity 
and  without  their  costing  anything.  The  love 
of  God  makes  saints  rejoice  in  the  midst  of 
sufferings.  Are  these  sacrifices,  these  suffer- 
ings of  less  value,  because  accompanied  by 
happiness  which  makes  them  light? 

True,  Our  Lord  does  not  suffer  in  the  Sacra- 
ment, but  He  has  voluntarily  embraced  this 
state  of  immolation.  The  merit  was  acquired 
at  that  first  hour  when  Jesus,  knowing  the  con- 
tempt, the  outrages  that  He  should  have  to 
endure  from  men,  accepted  all,  instituted  the 
Sacrament,  and  clothed  Himself  with  the  state 
of  victim.  Certainly,  this  merit  lasts,  it  is 
never  exhausted.  The  will  of  Our  Lord  em- 
braces all  times  and  places,  and  He  freely 
accepts  everything.  To  prove  His  ever  actual 
will  to  immolate  Himself,  He  has  ordered  His 
Church  to  represent  His  immolation  at  the 


262 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Holy  Mass  by  the  separation  of  the  species  of 
the  wine  from  that  of  the  bread,  and  by  the 
division  of  the  Host  into  three  parts.  At  Com- 
munion, He  loses  in  the  person  of  the  commun- 
icant His  sacramental  Being.  Do  you  not 
see  this  constant  immolation? 

We  know  no  word  for  the  mystery  which 
unites  in  the  Eucharist  life  and  immolation, 
glory  and  humiliation.  It  is  a mystery  of 
which  God  alone  possesses  the  key.  In  It,  once 
more.  He  teaches  the  interior  soul  to  make 
known  its  inmost  sufferings  to  God  alone. 

Oh ! that  men  knew  not  our  sufferings  1 
They  pity  us,  they  praise  us,  and  that  destroys 
us  I Behold  your  Model  in  the  Blessed  Sac- 
rament ! Oh  1 how  few  of  those  that  pray 
and  communicate  recognize  the  annihilated 
action  of  Our  Lord  I They  do  not  even  sus- 
pect it. 

As  to  the  exterior  acts  of  the  Christian  life. 
Our  Lord  teaches  us  to  hide  them,  also,  and 
not  to  receive  even  well-merited  praise.  To 
imitate  Him,  we  ought  to  allow  only  the  inferior 
side  of  our  good  works  to  be  seen,  for  then  the 
side  toward  heaven  will  be  all  the  more  bril- 
liant. We  ought  to  act  thus  respecting  the  ex- 
terior form  of  our  acts  whenever  we  are  free 


CHARACTERISTIC  OF  HOLINESS.  263 


to  do  so;  but  when  there  is  question  of  works 
that  we  must  perform  in  public,  let  us  do  them 
well  for  the  sake  of  edification.  It  is  the  pri- 
vate good  works  that  we  should  hide.  We 
shall  then  be  in  Eucharistic  grace.  Who  ever 
sees  the  virtues  of  Our  Lord  ? 

To  conclude,  let  us  recall  the  annihilations 
of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  Let 
us  abase  and  lose  ourselves  as  He  abased  Him- 
self. He  must  increase,  and  we  must  decrease. 
May  annihilation  become,  as  it  were,  the  char- 
acter of  your  virtue  and  your  life!  Become 
like  the  species,  which  no  longer  have  any- 
thing of  their  own,  and  which  exist  only  by 
a miracle.  Be  no  longer  anything  for  self, 
do  nothing  for  self,  annihilate  selfl 


18 


The  Divine  Eucharist. 


Disciie  a Me  quia  mitis 
sum  et  humilis  Corde. 


Learn  of  Me  that  I am  meek 
and  humble  of  Heart. 

(Matt,  xi,  29.) 


Esus  teaches  us  by  His  Euchar- 
istic form  to  annihilate  our- 
selves in  order  to  resemble 
Him.  Friendship  seeks  for 
equality  of  life  and  condition. 
To  live  of  the  Eucharist,  we 
must  annihilate  ourselves  with  Jesus  therein 
annihilated.  Let  us  enter  into  the  Soul,  into 
the  Heart  of  Jesus.  Let  us  see  what  sentiments 
have  animated  and  still  animate  Him  in  the 
Sacrament.  We  belong  to  Jesus  Eucharistic. 
Does  He  not  give  Himself  to  us  in  order  to 
change  us  into  Himself?  We  must  live  of  His 
spirit,  listen  to  His  lessons,  for  Jesus  is  our 
Master  in  the  Eucharist.  He  Himself  wishes 
to  instruct  us  how  to  serve  Him  according  to 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


265 


His  tastes  and  His  will.  That  is  but  right, 
since  He  is  our  Lord  and  we  are  His  servants. 
Now,  His  Spirit  Jesus  reveals  to  us  in  these 
words : « Learn  of  Me  that  1 am  meek  and 
humble  of  Heart.  » When  the  sons  of  Zebedee 
wanted  to  consume  the  city  rebelling  against 
their  Master,  Jesus  said  to  them:  « Nescitis 
cujus  spiritus  estis  — Ye  know  not  of  what 
spirit  ye  are!  » The  spirit  of  Jesus  is,  then, 
humility  and  meekness,  humility  and  meekness 
of  heart,  that  is,  loving,  pleasing  through  love, 
and  in  order  to  resemble  Jesus  Christ.  Our 
Lord  wants  to  form  us  to  his ; therefore  He 
is  in  the  Sacrament,  and  therefore  does  He 
come  to  us.  He  wants  to  be  our  Master  in 
these  virtues.  He  alone  can  teach  us  and  give 
us  the  grace  to  learn. 

I 

Umility  of  heart  — behold  the  tree 
which  produces  the  flower  and  the  fruit 
of  meekness!  « Learn  of  Me  that  I am  hum- 
ble of  heart!  » Jesus  speaks  of  humility  of 
heart  — has  He  not  humility  of  spirit?  No, 
humility  of  spirit  is  negative,  founded  on  the 
sin  and  nothingness  of  our  corrupt  nature  to 
which  Jesus  was  not  subjected,  although  He 


266 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


performed  acts  of  it  for  our  example.  He 
humbled  Himself,  for  instance,  as  a sinner, 
although  He  was  without  sin.  He  never  had 
anything  for  which  to  blush,  as  said  the  Good 
Thief:  « Hie  nil  mali  gessit  — This  Man 
hath  done  no  evil!  » But  we,  we  have  every- 
thing for  which  to  blush.  We  have  done  much 
evil,  and  we  do  not  even  know  all  the  evil 
of  which  we  are  guilty. 

The  ignorance  consequent  on  fallen  nature, 
belongs  not  to  Jesus;  but  we,  we  know  noth- 
ing, or  we  know  but  evil,  we  vitiate  the  no- 
tion of  justice  and  goodness.  Jesus  knows  all 
things,  and  He  is  as  humble  as  if  He  knew 
nothing.  He  spent  thirty  years  learning  in 
silence ! 

Jesus  possesses  all  natural  gifts;  He  knows 
and  He  can  perform  everything  in  the  most 
perfect  manner,  although  He  never  showed  it 
exteriorly.  He  engages  in  rough  labor,  and 
in  the  manner  of  an  apprentice':  « Nonne 
fabri  filius?  » People  asked:  « Is  not  this 
the  son  of  the  carpenter?  Is  He  not,  like  His 
father,  a carpenter?  » 

Jesus  never  exhibited  His  knowledge.  Even 
in  His  teaching.  He  declared  openly  that  He 
only  repeated  the  word  of  His  Father.  He 


JESUS  MEEK  AND  HUMBLE  OF  HEART.  267 


confined  Himself  to  His  mission,  and  fulfilled 
it  in  the  simplest  and  most  ordinary  way.  He 
conducted  Himself  like  a man  truly  humble 
of  spirit.  He  never  in  any  thing  glorified  Him- 
self, never  sought  to  shine,  to  play  the  wit,  to 
appear  better  instructed  than  others.  Even 
in  the  Temple,  in  the  midst  of  the  Doctors,  He 
listened  and  asked  questions,  as  if  desirous  of 
instruction : « Audientem  et  interrogantem  eos.  » 

Jesus  possessed  positive  humility  of  spirit, 
which  consists  not  in  humbling  one’s  self  on 
account  of  one’s  misery,  but  in  referring  all 
good  to  God,  and  humbling  one’s  self  for  that 
very  good.  In  all  things  He  depended  on  His 
Father,  consulting  Him,  and  obeying  those 
that  held  His  place  on  earth.  The  glory  of 
every  good  thing.  He  gave  to  His  Father. 
His  humility  of  spirit  is  magnificent,  admirable, 
divine:  « Gloriam  meant  non  quaero,  sed  ejus 
qui  misit  me  — I seek  not  My  own  glory,  but 
His  who  sent  Me.  » His  humility  is  all  glo- 
rious, a humility  spontaneous  and  full  of  love. 

We  ought  to  have  humility  of  spirit,  because 
we  are  ignorant  sinners;  for  us  it  is  a duty 
of  justice.  Our  quality  of  disciples  and  ser- 
vants of  Jesus  imposes  another  obligation  to 
possess  it.  And  yet  Jesus  mentions  in  His  com- 


268 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


mandment  only  humility  of  heart,  as  if  it  seem- 
ed to  His  love  that  it  would  humble  us  too 
deeply  to  speak  of  this  humility  of  spirit,  for 
it  would  recall  in  too  lively  a manner  our 
miseries  and  sins,  our  titles  to  contempt.  The 
love  of  Jesus  throws  a veil  over  this  painful 
side,  and  He  tells  us  to  be  like  Him,  humble 
of  heart:  « Humiles  corde.  » 

What  is  it  to  be  humble  of  heart?  It  is  to 
receive  from  God  with  submission  of  heart  and 
as  a favor,  as  an  act  very  glorious  to  Him, 
all  exercises  of  humility.  It  is  to  accept  one’s 
state  and  duties,  whatever  they  may  be,  and  not 
to  blush  at  one’s  condition.  It  is  to  be  simple 
and  natural  if  receiving  extraordinary  favors 
from  God.  If  I love  Jesus,  I ought  to  resem- 
ble Him.  If  I love  Jesus,  I ought  to  love  what 
He  practises,  what  He  prefers  to  everything 
else,  namely,  humility. 

Humility  of  heart  is  easier  than  humility  of 
spirit,  since  there  is  in  the  former  question  of 
only  a very  honorable  and  elevated  sentiment, 
that  of  resembling  Jesus  Christ,  of  loving  and 
glorifying  Him  in  these  sublime  circumstances 
of  humility. 

Have  we  this  humility  of  heart,  or  rather  this 
love  of  Jesus  humbled  ? Perhaps,  we  have  that 


JESUS  MEEK  AND  HUMBLE  OF  HEART.  269 


which  accompanies  devotedness,  glory,  success; 
that  which  gives  itself,  devotes  itself  purely  and 
without  thought  of  human  glory;  but  not  that 
which  abases  itself  with  John  the  Baptist,  which 
lowers  itself,  hides  itself,  and  is  happy  only 
when  abandoned  by  all  for  the  sake  of  Our 
Lord;  not  that  of  Jesus  in  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment, hidden  and  annihilated  for  the  glory  of 
His  Father. 

Here  is  the  true  combat  which  ought  to 
triumph  over  nature;  to  love  the  humility  of 
Jesus  is  His  glory  and  His  victory  in  us. 

There  is  a certain  humility  in  the  midst  of 
prosperity,  abundance,  success,  honors,  author- 
ity. That  humility  is  very  easy  to  practise. 
There  is  even  a certain  satisfaction  in  hum- 
bling one’s  self  under  such  circumstances,  that 
is,  in  referring  the  glory  to  God.  But  there 
is  a positive  humility  of  heart,  which  exists 
in  exterior  and  interior  humiliations,  when 
they  attack  the  mind,  the  heart,  the  body,  the 
actions.  It  is  a real  tempest  which  submerges 
one.  This  was  the  humility  of  Our  Lord  and 
all  the  saints.  To  love  God  at  such  a time,  to 
thank  Him  for  such  a state  — that  is  true 
humility  of  heart. 

How  can  this  humility  be  acquired?  Not 


270 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


by  reasoning  nor  reflecting.  We  imagine  we 
possess  it,  because  we  have  some  beautiful 
thoughts  about  it,  or  because  we  take  some 
heroic  resolutions,  and  we  go  no  farther. 
How  shall  we  acquire  this  humility  of  spirit? 
Simply  by  acting  in  the  spirit  of  Our  Lord, 
looking  at  Him,  consulting  Him,  doing  all 
things  under  His  divine  influence,  in  His 
companionship,  in  His  love;  by  recollecting 
ourselves  in  His  divine  humility  of  heart,  offer- 
ing our  actions  to  Him,  humbled  through  love 
in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  preferring  His 
state  of  obscurity  to  every  glory ; and  by  exam- 
ining at  the  end  of  our  actions  whether  or  not 
we  have  sought  self  in  them.  Let  us  con- 
stantly repeat : Jesus,  so  humble  of  heart, 
render  our  heart  like  unto  Thine! 

II 

BUmility  of  heart  gives  rise  to  meekness. 

Jesus  is  meek.  This  virtue  forms,  as  it 
were,  the  true  characteristic  of  His  life.  It 
is  His  spirit. 

Learn  of  Me  that  1 am  meek!  He  does  not 
say:  Learn  of  Me  that  I am  penitent,  poor, 
silent,  no,  but  meeky  because  fallen  man  is  nat- 


JESUS  MEEK  AND  HUMBLE  OF  HEART.  27 1 


urally  and  thoroughly  coleric,  jealous,  suscep- 
tible, vindictive,  full  of  hatred,  murder  in  his 
heart,  fury  in  his  eyes,  venom  on  his  tongue, 
violence  in  his  members.  Anger  is  his  nature, 
because  he  is  proud,  ambitious,  and  sensual, 
because  he  is  unhappy  and  humiliated  in  his 
fallen  state.  He  is  embittered,  as  is  said  of 
a man  that  has  suffered  unjustly. 

Interior  Meekness.  — Our  Lord  is  meek  of 
Heart.  He  loves  His  neighbor.  He  wishes  him 
well.  He  thinks  only  of  the  good  that  He  can 
do  him.  He  judges  the  neighbor  in  His  mercy 
and  not  in  His  justice,  for  it  is  not  yet  the  hour 
for  the  latter.  Jesus  is  a tender  mother,  a 
good  Samaritan!  The  feeble  child,  the  sinner, 
the  just,  all  have  a share  in  the  tenderness  of 
His  Heart. 

There  is  no  indignation  in  His  Heart  against 
those  that  despise  Him,  injure  Him,  wish  evil 
to  Him  and  are  disposed  to  offer  it  to  Him. 
He  knows  them  all,  and  feels  for  them  only 
compassion.  Their  unhappy  state  gives  Him 
pain:  Et  videns  civitatem,  flevit  super  earn. 

Jesus  was  meek  by  nature:  He  is  the  Lamb 
of  God.  He  was  meek  by  virtue,  to  glorify  His 
Father  by  it.  He  was  meek  through  the  mis- 
sion of  His  Father,  for  meekness  ought  to 


272 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


be  the  characteristic  of  the  Saviour,  that  He 
might  be  able  to  attract  sinners,  to  encourage 
them  to  come  to  Him,  attach  them  to  Him, 
and  establish  them  in  the  divine  Law. 

We  have  great  need  of  this  meekness  of 
heart,  but  do  we  possess  it?  Very  often,  on 
the  contrary,  we  are  filled  with  irritation  in 
our  thoughts  and  judgments.  We  are  too 
apt  to  judge  things  and  persons  from  our  own 
standpoint,  or  from  that  of  success,  and  we 
crush  those  that  oppose  us.  Were  we  to  form 
our  judgments  as  Our  Lord  does,  or  according 
to  His  mercy  and  holiness,  we  should  always 
be  charitable,  and  our  heart  would  be  at  peace : 
Jugis  pax  in  corde  humili. 

Should  we  foresee  that  we  are  going  to  be 
contradicted,  what  arguments,  what  vindication, 
what  energetic  replies  bubble  up  in  our  imagi- 
nation 1 How  far  is  all  this  from  the  meekness 
of  the  Lamb ! It  is  self-love  looking  out  for 
self  and  its  own  interests.  Should  we  possess 
some  authority,  we  see  but  ourselves,  but  the 
duty  of  our  inferiors,  the  virtues  they  should 
have,  the  heroism  of  obedience,  the  power 
of  the  command,  the  necessity  of  humbling 
and  breaking  the  will,  of  making  an  example. 
All  this  is  not  equal  in  value  to  one  act  of 


JESUS  MEEK  AND  HUMBLE  OF  HEART.  273 


meekness.  Let  him  that  commands,  says  the 
Saviour,  be  the  most  humble.  We  are  and 
we  ought  to  be  the  disciples  of  the  Master, 
meek  and  humble  of  heart:  Servus  servorum 
Dei,  the  servants  of  the  servants  of  God,  and 
not  the  generals  of  an  army! 

Why  do  we  so  often  put  forth  so  much 
energy  against  opposition?  Why  this  anger, 
which  certainly  is  not  holy,  against  what  is 
bad,  against  unbelievers  and  the  impious? 
Ailias  1 it  is  in  reality  our  own  vanity  that  urges 
us  on.  We  think  to  show  energy,  whereas  we 
display  only  impatience  and  cowardice.  Our 
Lord  would  compassionate  these  poor  people, 
would  pray  for  them,  and  endeavor  in  His 
relations  with  them  to  honor  His  Father  by 
meekness  and  humility.  Besides,  those  ener- 
getic, stinging  people  give  bad  example.  O 
my  God,  make  my  heart  meek  like  Thine! 

Meehness  of  Spirit.  — Jesus  is  meek  of 
spirit.  He  sees  in  everything  only  God,  His 
Father,  and  in  men  the  creatures  of  God.  He 
is  the  Father  weeping  over  His  wandering 
children,  seeking  to  lead  them  back,  binding 
up  their  wounds  from  whatsoever  cause  they 
may  proceed,  and  longing  to  restore  to  them 
the  divine  life.  His  mind  is  entirely  taken  up 


274  the  divine  EUCHARIST. 

with  fatherly  thoughts  for  His  children  and 
with  anxiety  about  their  unfortunate  state.  It 
is  their  good  that  occupies  Him,  for  their  good 
that  He  labors.  He  does  it  in  peace,  and  not 
in  anger,  indignation,  and  vengeance.  Thus 
did  David  mourn  over  guilty  Absalom,  and 
beg  that  his  life  should  be  saved;  thus  did 
Mary,  the  Mother  of  Sorrows,  weep  over  the 
executioners  of  her  Son,  and  obtain  pardon 
for  them. 

True  charity  is  nourished  in  the  mind,  as 
well  as  in  the  heart,  by  reclaiming  to  good,  and 
not  by  dwelling  on  the  evil  and  the  means  of 
avenging  it.  It  never  separates  man  from  his 
present  or  future  supernatural  state.  It  never 
takes  him  away  from  God,  never  makes  him  see 
in  Him  an  enemy.  Charity  is  meek  and  pa- 
tient. 

What  we  discover  in  our  heart,  is  found  in 
our  mind  and  imagination,  also,  — those  two 
faculties  that  rouse  so  many  tempests  in  us, 
that  place  the  sword  in  our  hand  to  slay  all 
whom  we  meet.  Such  attacks  must  be  quickly 
cut  short;  one  glance  toward  Jesus,  and  calm 
is  restored. 


JESUS  MEEK  AND  HUMBLE  OF  HEART.  275 


III 

■Eek  in  heart  and  in  spirit,  Jesus  is  also 
perfectly  natural  in  His  exterior.  His 
meekness  is  like  the  sweet  perfume  of  His 
charity  and  holiness.  It  reigns  over  all  His 
actions.  There  is  nothing  violent  in  His  ges- 
tures, which  are  as  gentle  as  the  expression  of 
His  most  sweet  thoughts  and  sentiments.  His 
step  is  measured,  not  precipitate,  because  His 
whole  demeanor  is  regulated  by  wisdom.  His 
person.  His  bearing.  His  garments  — all  pro- 
claim the  well-ordered,  calm,  and  peaceful  in- 
terior. It  is  the  reign  of  His  sweet  modesty, 
for  modesty  is  exterior  meekness  and  happi- 
ness. 

The  Saviour  holds  His  head  neither  proudly, 
nor  arrogantly,  nor  domineeringly.  Neither 
too  abject,  nor  too  timid,  He  bears  Himself 
with  simple  and  humble  modesty.  His  eyes 
express  no  feeling  of  wrath  nor  indignation. 
They  are  respectful  toward  superiors,  full  of 
love  for  His  Mother  and  Saint  Joseph  at  Naz- 
areth, of  kindness  toward  His  disciples,  of 
tender  compassion  for  sinners,  and  of  merci- 
ful pardon  for  His  enemies.  His  august  lips 
are  the  throne  of  His  sweetness.  He  opens 


276 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


them  with  modesty  and  sweet  gravity.  The 
Saviour  speaks  little.  Never  does  a jest,  a 
word  of  raillery  or  curiosity  escape  His  mouth. 
His  words,  like  His  thoughts,  are  the  fruit  of 
His  wisdom.  The  terms  that  He  uses  are 
simple,  suitable,  and  within  the  mental  reach 
of  His  hearers,  who  are  most  frequently  the 
poor,  the  common  people.  He  shuns  anything 
like  personality  in  His  discourses,  attacking 
the  vices  of  only  sects  or  classes,  bad  examples 
and  scandals.  He  never  reveals  hidden  crimes 
nor  secret  defects.  He  never  flees  from  him 
who  hates  Him.  He  never  leaves  a duty  un- 
fulfilled, a truth  unsaid,  through  fear  or  to 
shun  a contradiction  or  to  please  any  one 
soever.  He  makes  no  premature  reproaches, 
no  personal  prophecies  before  the  time  marked 
by  His  Father.  He  lives  with  those  whom  He 
knows  are  going  to  desert  Him,  in  the  same 
simplicity,  the  same  sweetness.  The  moment 
for  Him  to  speak  having  not  yet  come,  the 
future  is  for  Him  as  if  He  knew  it  not. 

Our  Lord  showed  admirable  patience  toward 
the  crowds  that  pressed  upon  Him,  charming 
gentleness  in  the  midst  of  all  the  commotion, 
the  demands,  the  unreasonable  wishes  of  a rude 
and  earthly-minded  people.  What  is  still  more 


JESUS  MEEK  AND  HUMBLE  OF  HEART.  277 


admirable  is  the  calm,  sweet,  gentle  life  He 
led  in  the  midst  of  His  rude,  dull,  susceptible, 
interested  disciples,  vain-glorious  of  their  Mas- 
ter. Our  Lord  ever  testified  to  them  the  same 
love,  showing  neither  preference  nor  familiarity. 
Jesus  is  all  honey,  all  sweetness,  all  love. 

If  we  compare  our  life  with  that  of  Jesus 
Christ,  what  a condemnation!  Our  self-love 
is  the  trenchant  sword  that  separates  us  from 
certain  persons  whose  life  and  character  are 
wounding  to  our  pride ; for  our  impatience, 
our  reproaches,  our  cutting  manner,  all  spring 
from  a fund  of  slothfulness,  which  leads  us 
to  free  ourselves  or  to  be  delivered  from  what 
is  disagreeable,  from  a sacrifice,  a duty.  We 
at  once  find  means  to  disembarrass  ourselves. 
Alas!  such  a demeanor,  such  airs  and  words 
are,  to  say  the  truth,  ridiculous.  I hope  the 
good  God  will  forgive  them,  for  they  spring 
from  childishness  or  stupidity. 

Let  us  remark  that  meekness  toward  the 
great  or  toward  those  that  can  serve  our  vanity, 
is  weakness,  adulation,  meanness,  and  that 
energy  exercised  toward  the  feeble  is  cruelty. 
Their  humiliation  is  often  only  the  satisfaction 
of  secret  vengeance.  O my  God! 


278 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


IV 

HE  greatest  triumph  of  Jesus’  meekness 
lay  in  His  silence. 

Jesus,  who  came  to  regenerate  the  world, 
began  by  keeping  silence  in  public  for  thirty 
years;  and  yet,  how  many  vices  were  in  the 
world  to  be  corrected,  how  many  souls  were 
wandering,  how  many  abuses  in  the  divine 
worship  and  among  the  rulers  of  the  nation! 
Our  Lords  reprehends  no  one.  He  is  satisfied 
with  praying,  with  doing  penance,  with  not 
encouraging  evil,  and  with  asking  pardon  of 
God. 

How  many  beautiful  things  Our  Lord  might 
have  said  during  these  thirty  years  to  teach 
and  to  console!  He  did  not  say  them.  He 
listened  to  the  ancients,  assisted  in  the  syna- 
gogue at  the  instructions  of  the  Scribes  and 
the  Doctors  of  the  Law,  as  if  He  were  a 
simple  Israelite  of  the  lowest  class.  He  might 
have  reprehended,  He  might  have  reformed,  but 
He  did  not.  His  hour  had  not  yet  come! 

The  Increated  Wisdom,  the  Word  of  God, 
He  who  created  speech,  who  inspires  truth, 
is  silent.  He  honors  His  Father  by  His  sweet 
and  humble  silence.  It  is  this  silence  of  Jesus 


JESUS  MEEK  AND  HUMBLE  OF  HEART.  279 


that  SO  eloquently  teaches  us:  « Learn  that 
I am  meek  and  humble  of  heart!  » 

Oh,  what  a condemnation  of  our  life!  We 
speak  like  insensates,  often  talking  of  what  we 
do  not  know,  touching  upon  doubtful  questions 
and  declaring  them  certain,  affirming  and  im- 
posing our  own  opinions.  How  often  we  say 
what  we  ought  not  to  say,  revealing  what  the 
most  elementary  form  of  humility  ought  to 
make  us  conceal!  Our  Lord  treats  us  on  such 
occasions  as  we  treat  prattlers  or  the  insolent. 
He  allows  us  to  speak  alone  to  our  own  con- 
fusion; His  thought  is  not  with  us,  and  His 
grace  does  not  fertilize  our  words. 

The  silence  of  Jesus’  meekness  is  patient. 
He  listens  to  those  that  speak  to  Him,  hears 
them  to  the  end  without  ever  interrupting  them, 
although  He  well  knows  all  that  they  are  going 
to  say  to  Him.  Then  He  responds  at  once. 
He  reprehends  and  corrects  kindly  without 
humbling  or  wounding  anyone,  as  the  best 
of  masters  would  do  to  a young  pupil.  He 
listens  to  things  disagreeable  to  hear  and 
foreign  to  the  subject,  always  finding  some 
occasion  to  instruct  and  do  good. 

As  for  us,  it  is  very  different.  We  are  im- 
patient to  reply  to  what  we  quickly  compre- 


The  Divine  Eucharist. 


28o 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


hend,  we  tire  of  listening  to  what  takes  up 
our  time  or  contradicts  us,  and  we  show  it  in 
our  countenance  and  manner.  This  is  not 
the  spirit  of  Our  Lord,  no,  not  even  the  spirit  of 
a well-bred  man,  of  an  intelligent  and  respect- 
able pagan.  There  is  in  life  a multitude  of 
circumstances  in  which  silent  patience,  sweet- 
ness, and  humility  become  the  virtue  of  the 
moment,  and  must  be  before  God  the  only  fruit 
of  time  that  we  think  lost.  His  grace  will  ad- 
vertise of  such  moments.  Let  us  hearken  to 
His  voice,  and  obey  it  simply  and  faithfully. 

What  shall  we  say  of  the  meekness  of  Jesus’ 
silence  under  suffering  ? He  was  habitually 
silent  before  the  incredulous  spirit  of  many  of 
His  disciples,  before  the  wicked  and  ungrateful 
heart  of  Judas,  all  of  whose  perfidious  thoughts 
and  infamous  machinations  were  known  to 
Him.  He  was  self-possessed,  calm,  and  affec- 
tionate with  everyone,  as  if  He  knew  nothing. 
He  carried  on  ordinary  relations  with  them;  He 
respected  the  secrecy  which  His  Father  kept 
in  their  regard. 

Oh!  what  a lesson  against  rash  judgments, 
suspicions,  secret  antipathies! 

Jesus  prefers  the  law  of  charity,  of  common 
duty,  to  the  knowledge  He  has  of  the  secrets 


JESUS  MEEK  AND  HUMBLE  OF  HEART.  281 


of  hearts,  because  such  is  the  order  of  Provi- 
dence. 

Jesus  confesses  simply  before  His  judges  the 
truth  of  His  mission  and  His  Divinity.  He 
acknowledges  before  the  High-Priests  that  He 
is  the  Son  of  God,  and  before  the  Roman  Gov- 
ernor that  He  is  a king.  He  is  silent  in 
presence  of  the  inquisitive  and  sensual  Herod. 
He  keeps  the  silence  of  one  condemned  during 
the  jesting  mockery  and  sacrileges  of  the  prae- 
torian cohort.  He  receives  without  a word  of 
complaint  the  blows  of  the  flagellation  and  the 
insults  of  the  Ecce  Homo.  He  does  not  appeal 
from  His  unjust  condemnation.  He  lovingly 
embraces  His  Cross  and  mounts  to  Calvary  in 
the  midst  of  the  maledictions,  maltreatment, 
and  insults  of  the  populace.  When  the  malice 
of  men  is  exhausted,  when  the  executioners 
have  finished  their  work,  He  opens  His  mouth 
to  say:  « Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do  ! » 

Ah  1 at  this  sight  why  is  not  our  heart  broken 
with  repentance  and  melted  with  love  ? ' 

What  shall  we  say  of  the  Eucharistic  sweet- 
ness of  Jesus?  How  paint  His  kind  reception 
of  every  one  that  comes  to  Him?  His  affability 
in  placing  Himself  at  the  service  of  all,  the 


282 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


lowly  and  the  ignorant  ? His  patience  in  listen- 
ing to  everyone,  attending  to  all  that  they  say, 
hearing  the  recital  of  their  miseries  ? How 
speak  of  the  kindness  of  Communion  in  which 
Jesus  gives  Himself  to  all  according  to  their 
state,  coming  to  all  with  joy,  provided  He  finds 
in  them  the  life  of  grace  and  a little  sentiment 
of  devotion,  some  good  desires,  or  at  least  a 
little  respect  ? He  gives  to  each  the  grace  that 
he  can  receive,  and  leaves  to  him  peace  and 
love  as  the  fare  for  His  passage.  And  toward 
them  that  forget  Him,  what  patient  and  merci- 
ful sweetness!  He  awaits  them. 

For  those  that  despise  and  offend  Him,  He 
prays,  but  without  opposing  or  threatening 
them.  He  does  not  immediately  punish  them 
that  outrage  Him  by  sacrilege,  but  He  tries  to 
lead  them  back  to  repentance  by  His  sweetness 
and  kindness.  The  Eucharist  is  the  triumph  of 
the  meekness  of  Jesus  Christ. 

V 

Y what  means  may  we  arrive  at  the  meek- 
ness of  Jesus  ? It  is  easy  to  see  the 
beauty,  the  blessing,  even  the  necessity  of  a 
virtue  and,  above  all,  of  meekness;  but  to  stop 


JESUS  MEEK  AND  HUMBLE  OF  HEART.  283 


thjer'e  is  to  do  as  the  sick  man  who  knows  his 
remedy,  has  it  under  his  hand,  but  does  not 
take  it;  or  as  the  traveller  who,  seated  comfor- 
tably, is  satisfied  with  merely  glancing  at  the 
route  over  which  he  has  passed. 

Now,  the  sovereign  means  to  reach  the  meek- 
ness of  the  Heart  of  Jesus  is  the  love  of  Our 
Lord.  Love  always  tends  to  produce  identity 
of  life  between  those  that  love.  Love  operates 
by  three  means: 

The  first  consists  in  destroying  the  incan- 
descent furnace  of  impatience,  wrath,  and  vio- 
lence, by  the  war  against  self-love  which  mani- 
fests itself  by  the  three  kinds  of  concupiscence 
that  dispute  possession  of  our  heart.  It  is 
because  our  sensuality,  our  pride,  or  our  desire 
to  appear  and  to  be  honored  are  met  by  some 
obstacle,  that  we  are  irritated.  To  combat 
these  three  dominant  passions  is,  then,  to 
attack  the  enemy  of  meekness. 

Again,  we  must  aim  at  loving  more  what 
may  present  itself  to  be  accomplished  in  the 
order  of  Divine  Providence  than  actually  pre- 
scribed duty ; for  if  we  are  irritable,  it  is  because 
we  are  interrupted  in  some  occupation  that  we 
love  more  than  that  which  God  presents  us  at 
the  moment.  If  we  reach  this  point,  we  shall 


284 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


instantly  quit  everything  to  obey  the  will  of 
God,  since  all  that  He  sends  us  is  the  best 
and  the  most  agreeable  in  our  eyes.  Such 
a change  can  be  brought  about  only  by  a love 
for  the  holy  will  of  God  at  the  passing  moment, 
for  He  varies  our  graces  and  our  duties  for 
His  own  glory  and  our  good.  We  then  resem- 
ble the  servant  that  leaves  an  ordinary  master 
for  the  personal  service  of  the  Sovereign. 
How  encouraging  is  this  thought,  and  how 
capable  of  preserving  us  in  meekness  and 
peace  in  the  midst  of  the  vicissitudes  of  life! 

But  among  all  the  means  to  acquire  meek- 
ness, the  very  best  is  to  have  under  our  eyes 
the  example  of  Jesus,  Our  Lord,  His  desire. 
His  pleasure.  This  means  is  full  of  beauty, 
light,  and  heart.  To  be  meek,  let  us  only  raise 
our  eyes  to  the  Eucharist,  let  us  eat  the  Divine 
Manna  which  has  in  It  every  savor,  and  we 
shall  ever  possess  an  abundance  of  meekness 
and  sweetness.  In  Holy  Communion,  let  us 
lay  up  a provision  of  meekness  for  the  day, 
for  we  shall  always  have  much  need  of  it. 

To  be  meek  like  unto  Our  Lord,  to  be  sweet 
for  the  love  of  our  good  Saviour  — this  should 
be  the  aim  of  the  soul  that  wishes  to  live  of 
the  spirit  of  Jesus. 


JESUS  MKhK  AND  HUMBLE  OF  HEART.  2S5 


O my  soul,  be  thou  meek  toward  the  neigh- 
bor that  exercises  thee,  as  God,  as  Our  Lord, 
as  the  Blessed  Virgin  are  meek  toward  thee! 
Be  patient  with  him  that  thy  Judge  may  be 
patient  toward  thee,  for  it  will  be  measured  to 
thee  as  thou  hast  measured  to  others.  If  thou 
thinkest  on  thy  sins,  on  what  thou  hast  and 
what  thou  still  dost  deserve,  beholding  with 
what  sweetness  and  patience  and  honor  Our 
Lord  treats  thee,  O poor  soul,  thou  shouldst 
be  confounded  before  thy  neighbor  in  all 
sweetness  and  humility  of  heart. 


Beati  pnuperes  spiriiii.  I Blessed  are  the  poor  in 
I spirit.  Matt.  , ^.) 

I 

He  spirit,  the  virtue,  the  life  of 
Jesus  are  a spirit,  a virtue,  a 
life  of  poverty,  of  absolute  and 
constant  poverty. 

The  Eternal  Word  espoused 
it  at  Bethlehem.  On  becoming 
Man,  He  began  with  what  poverty  has  the  most 
humiliating,  namely,  the  habitation  of  animals 
— • and  the  rudest,  a stable,  a manger,  the 
straw,  the  cold,  the  night.  He  was  born  far 
from  every  succor, .from  every  human  habita- 
tion. To  be  poorer  still,  the  Word  made 
Flesh  was  born  during  a journey,  and  was 
refused  shelter  on  account  of  the  poverty  of 
His  parents.  Later  on,  He  goes  to  pass  a part 
of  His  childhood  in  Egypt,  in  a strange  country, 
hostile  to  the  Jews,  in  order  that  His  parents 
might  be  still  poorer  and  more  abandoned,  if 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHAKIST. 


287 


that  were  possible.  At  Nazareth,  He  passed 
thirty  years  in  the  practice  of  poverty.  He 
was  poor  in  His  dwelling,  — - it  suffices  to  be- 
hold the  little  house  of  Loretto  to  be  convinced 
of  that;  poor  in  His  surroundings,  which  con- 
sisted of  what  is  strictly  necessary,  of  the 
simple  furniture  customary  among  the  poor. 
We  have  another  proof  of  His  poverty  in  the 
wooden  plate  of  the  Most  Holy  Virgin,  which 
may  be  seen  at  Loretto.  His  raiment  was  poor. 
His  tunic,  as  we  may  see,  was  of  coarse  worsted 
stuff;  the  swathing-bands  of  His  infancy  were 
coarse  linen,  and  His  nourishment  was  poor. 
It  was  the  fruit  of  a poor  carpenter’s  labor, 
able  to  cover  only  the  bare  necessities  of  life. 

In  His  conduct.  Jesus  wished  to  appear 
poor,  tie  regarded  Himself  as  the  last  of  all, 
and  ever  took  for  Himself  the  last  place.  Like 
the  poor,  He  respected  and  honored  everyone. 
He  listened  humbly  in  silence  to  the  instruc- 
tions given  in  the  synagogue.  He  never  made 
a parade  of  His  wisdom  nor  of  His  extraor- 
dinary knowledge,  but  lived  the  life  common 
to  people  of  His  condition.  He  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  a poor  man,  and  He  passed  along 
forgotten  and  ignored  as  any  other  of  His 
station. 


288 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


In  all  that  He  did,  in  all  that  He  procured 
for  Himself,  He  sought  only  what  was  the 
most  despicable.  Behold  Him  in  His  angelic 
life:  He  made  use  of  the  clothing  of  a work- 
man, His  habits  were  those  of  a poor  man. 
He  prayed  kneeling  on  the  naked  earth;  He 
ate  the  barley-bread  of  the  poor;  He  lived  on 
alms.  He  journeyed  as  a poor  man,  experienc- 
ing all  the  inconveniences  of  the  indigent,  not 
having  the  means  to  satisfy  at  will  His  hunger 
and  thirst.  His  poverty  rendered  Him  con- 
temptible in  the  eyes  of  the  great  and  the 
rich.  But,  in  spite  of  that.  He  never  hesitated 
to  cry,  Yae  vohis,  divitibus ! Woe  to  ye,  rich ! 

He  chose  disciples  poor  as  Himself,  directing 
them  not  to  own  two  tunics,  nor  provisions  for 
the  morrow,  nor  silver,  nor  a staff  for  defence. 

He  died  forsaken  and  despoiled  of  even  His 
poor  garments.  They  buried  Him  in  a bor- 
rowed winding-sheet,  and  they  laid  him  in  a 
tomb  placed  at  His  service  by  charity. 

Even  after  His  Resurrection,  He  appeared  to 
His  Apostles  in  the  same  garb  of  poverty. 

Lastly,  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament,  the 
love  of  poverty  led  Him  to  veil  the  glory  of 
His  Divinity  and  the  splendor  of  His  glorified 
Humanity.  To  be  still  poorer,  to  have  abso- 


JESUS,  THE  MODEL  OF  POVERTY.  289 


lutely  nothing  for  Himself,  He  despoils  Him- 
self of  His  liberty,  of  external  movement,  as 
well  as  of  all  propriety.  He  is  in  the  Eucharist 
as  in  the  womb  of  His  Blessed  Mother,  envel- 
oped and  concealed  by  the  Sacred  Species, 
expecting  from  the  charity  of  men  the  matter 
of  His  Sacrament,  the  objects  necessery  for  His 
worship.  Behold  the  poverty  of  Jesus  1 He 
loves  it.  He  has  chosen  it  for  His  inseparable 
companion. 


H'Hy  has  Jesus  Christ  chosen  this  state  of 

I perpetual  poverty? 

First,  because,  as  a Child  of  Adam,  He  has 
espoused  the  state  of  our  exiled  nature,  des- 
poiled of  its  rights  over  creatures;  and  again, 
in  order  to  sanctify  by  His  poverty  all  the  acts 
of  poverty  that  are  made  in  His  Church.  He 
became  poor,  in  order  to  communicate  to  us 
the  riches  of  heaven,  detaching  us  from  earthly 
goods  by  the  example  of  His!  own  small  account 
of  them.  He  became  poor,  in  order  that 
poverty,  which  is  ours  by  right,  our  penance, 
the  means  by  which  we  may  make  reparation, 
may  become  honorable,  desirable,  and  lovable 


290 


THK  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


in  Him.  He  became  poor,  to  show  us  and  prove 
to  us  His  love.  He  remains  poor  in  His  Sacra- 
ment, in  spite  of  His  glorified  state,  that  He 
may  ever  be  our  living  and  visible  Model.  And 
so,  poverty,  which  in  itself  is  not  desirable, 
since  it  is  a punishment  and  a privation,  be- 
comes noble  and  full  of  charms  in  Jesus  Christ, 
who  makes  of  it  the  form  of  His  life,  the  founda- 
tion of  the  evangelical  life,  the  first  of  the 
Beatitudes,  and  His  own  divine  heritage. 

It  becomes  holy  by  Jesus,  since  it  was,  and 
still  is.  His  great  virtue,  that  which  repairs  the 
glory  of  God  wounded  by  original  sin  and  our 
own  personal  prevarications.  It  gives  rise  to 
the  virtue  of  penance  by  the  privations  that  it 
imposes.  It  is  the  natural  occasion  of  the 
virtue  of  patience,  which  is  so  necessary,  and 
which  crowns  our  works  with  the  halo  of  per- 
fection. It  is  the  nourishment  of  humility, 
which  it  feeds  with  the  humiliations  that  always 
accompany  it.  It  supposes  great  meekness 
and  great  strength  of  character  to  endure  it 
long;  for  suffering  without  consolation,  without 
the  help  of  the  benevolent,  is  its  ordinary 
consequence.  It  is  necessarily  gentle,  for  who 
gives  to  an  insolent  beggar?  It  must  be  full 
of  respect  and  deference  for  all  from  whom 


JESUS,  THE  MODEL  OF  POVERTY.  29 1 


it  expects  help.  Thankfulness  is  its  power, 
and  prayer  is  its  life. 

O what  glory  poverty  gives  to  God!  It 
is  everywhere  contented  with  its  state,  for  it 
is  God  who  has  appointed  it.  It  gives  thanks 
in  joy  and  in  trial.  It  adores  God  in  every- 
thing. It  loves  Him  more  than  any  condition 
in  life.  His  will  is  its  riches.  It  abandons 
itself  to  His  paternal  providence,  whether  man- 
ifested by  mercy,  goodness,  or  even  justice. 
« Jacta  super  Dominum  ciiram  tuam,  et  ipse  te 
enutriet  — Cast  thy  care  upon  the  Lord,  and 
He  will  sustain  thee.  » The  poor  supernatural 
man  belongs  to  God! 

O how  ravishing  is  that  poverty  which  makes 
us  love  God  more  than  all  else ! Christian 
poverty  is  surely  beautiful;  but  more  beautiful 
still  is  religious  poverty,  which  honors  God  by 
the  giving  up  of  everything,  by  the  abandoning 
of  all  things  to  His  goodness.  Luxury  caused 
man’s  loss;  poverty  raises  him  up  and  beatifies 
him.  But,  above  all,  how  admirable  is  the 
poverty  of  Jesus  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment, in  which  He  despoils  Himself  of  His 
glory,  of  His  liberty,  and  of  every  natural  good ! 
He  leaves  Himself  to  the  charity,  to  the  mercy 
of  man.  That  is  true  love! 


292 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


All  who  wish  to  be  saints  ought  to  be  poor 
in  affection;  and  in  order  to  become  a great 
saint,  one  must  be  poor  both  in  affection  and 
in  deed.  Perfection,  holiness,  consists  in  al- 
ways preferring  to  have  less  than  more;  in 
simplifying  life  by  diminishing  its  superfluities; 
in  becoming  poor  for  the  love  of  our  Lord;  in 
making  Jesus  poor  our  Model;  in  taking  His 
poverty  for  the  interior  and  exterior  law  of 
our  life,  the  form  of  His  life  in  us. 

HI 

■ Et  us  consider  the  spiritual  poverty  of 
_ Jesus  Christ.  It  is  the  crown  and  tk  . 
life  of  the  virtue  of  poverty. 

We  know  nothing:  then  we  should  be  silent 
and  listen.  Our  Lord,  who  knows  everything, 
since  He  is  the  Word,  the  intelligence  of  the 
Father,  kept  silence  during  the  greater  part  -of 
His  life,  as  if  He  had  been  destitute  of  knowl- 
edge. O how  hard  it  is  for  us  to  exhibit  our 
poverty  in  this  respect  1 We  are  full  of  spiritual 
vanity. 

Jesus  possessed  all  virtues  in  the  highest  de- 
gree, and  yet  He  declared  He  had  nothing  of 
Himself.  We  have  truly  nothing  good  in  our 


JESUS,  THE  MODEL  OF  POVERTY.  293 


heart.  Before  God  we  are  dry,  arid,  like  a 
stone  or  a beast  of  burden.  Our  heart  knows 
not  how  to  say  anything  to  God.  It  produces 
only  briers  and  thorns.  What  is  there  in  it 
of  which  to  be  proud?  What  miserable  soil  is 
that  which  brings  forth  only  thistles ! Jesus  can 
do  all  good,  and  yet  He  expects  all  things  from 
His  Father. 

We  can  do  no  good.  Our  poverty  in  this 
respect  is  still  more  complete.  We  have  done 
much  evil  and  little  good;  and  the  little  good 
that  we  have  done,  has  been  mingled  with  many 
imperfections. 

Of  our  interior  poverty,  we  must  make  a 
virtue.  To  do  so,  we  must  go  to  Our  Lord  by 
this  state  of  poverty,  by  exercising  its  acts,  like 
a child  who  is  weak,  ignorant,  awkward,  who 
spoils  everything,  but  who  is,  nevertheless,  in 
peace  with  itself  and  happy  at  its  mother’s  side. 
She  is  all  to  it.  May  the  virtue  of  Jesus  con- 
stitute all  our  riches ! A poor  man  is  generally 
without  resources,  knowledge,  or  influence. 
He  lives,  however,  peacefully  in  his  state.  He 
loves  his  rags,  for  they  are  his  eloquent  titles 
to  the  beneficence  of  the  rich.  If  he  has 
wounds,  he  exhibits  them  with  satisfaction,  for 
they  are  his  means  of  subsistence. 


294  ' the  divine  EUCHARIST. 

But  is  not  our  Lord  more  loving,  more  tender 
than  a mother?  Is  He  not  our  sweet  Provi- 
dence, our  Light,  our  All?  Let  us,  then,  serve 
Him  in  the  spirit  of  poverty,  by  true  humility 
of  heart.  Let  us  live  without  a champion  in 
the  world.  Jesus  in  the  Sacrament  has  none. 
Who  can  help  admiring  the  interior  and  ex- 
terior poverty  of  Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph? 

A beggar  has  nothing,  clings  to  nothing, 
can  do  nothing  for  himself  or  for  others ; other- 
wise, he  would  be  very  rich,  for  the  goods  of 
the  mind  are  much  more  appreciable  than  those 
of  the  body,  and  it  is  more  honorable  to  be 
able  to  give  counsel  than  money. 

Interior  poverty,  thus  understood,  becomes 
the  remedy  for  the  three  concupiscences  in  us. 
It  attacks  vanity,  the  desire  of  always  knowing 
more  and  more  — the  sensuality  of  the  mind. 
Once  convinced  that  we  are  poor  mentally,  poor 
'n  heart,  energy,  constancy,  fortitude,  i)overty 
will  become,  as  it  were,  natural  to  us.  It  ii 
then  our  state,  and  then  we  depend  entirely  on 
God.  We  seek  His  light  for  our  mind.  His 
grace  for  our  will.  His  love  for  our  heart.  His 
Cross  for  our  body. 

But  that  this  poverty  may  be  desirable,  it 
must  be  regarded  and  loved  in  our  Lord,  who  is 


JESUS,  THE  MODEL  OF  POVERTY.  295 


SO  poor  in  the  Sacrament,  and  who  is  repeating 
to  us  incessantly : « Sine  me  nihil  potestis 

facer e — Without  Me,  ye  can  do  nothing.  » 
Without  Me  ye  have  nothing.  I am  your  only 
riches.  Look  for  none  other  either  in  yourself 
or  in  those  around  you. 

IV 

Hence  come  our  sins  against  poverty,  if 
it  is  our  state?  Whence  the  antipathy 
that  we  experience  to  it,  when  we  are  surround- 
ed by  poverty  of  affection? 

First  from  vanity.  We  wish  to  have  nice 
things  for  our  use.  We  want  the  best,  the  finest, 
the  most  brilliant,  under  the  pretext  that  it  lasts 
longer.  It  would  be  better  to  consult  Our  Lord 
in  the  spirit  of  poverty.  One  act  of  that  virtue 
is  of  more  value  than  all  this  so-called  economy. 

Sensuality,  also,  leads  us  to  the  violation  of 
poverty  through  the  excessive  care  that  we  take 
of  ourselves.  What  precautions  against  the 
least  inconveniences  I Ah ! nature  fears  poverty 
far  more  than  it  does  humility,  modesty,  or  any 
other  virtue.  We  must,  then,  apply  resolutely 
to  its  practice,  if  we  would  resemble  our  Lord. 
Let  every  one  in  his  own  condition  aim  at  hav- 


The  Divine  Eucharist. 


20 


296 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


ing  things  a little  less  fine,  a little  less  abun- 
dant. Let  all  that  we  take  or  receive  pay 
homage  to  the  holy  poverty  of  Jesus  Christ, 
our  Master. 


Hodie  parvulus  natus  est  I Today  a little  Child  is  born 
nobis.  I tons.  (Isaias  ix,i6.) 


Weet  feast  of  the  Saviour’s 
birth!  We  always  hail  it  with 
joy.  It  lives  again  in  our  love, 
it  is  perpetuated  by  the  Eu- 
charist. The  relations  between 
Bethlehem  and  the  Eucharist 
cannot  be  separated,  one  completes  the  other. 
Let  us  study  them  today. 

I 


ISHHe  Eucharist  was  sown  at  Bethlehem. 

What  is  the  Eucharist,  if  not  the  Wheat 
of  the  Elect,  the  Living  Bread?  Now,  wheat 
has  to  be  sown.  It  must  be  buried  in  the  earth, 


298 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


that  it  may  germinate  and  ripen;  be  harvested 
and  ground,  in  order  to  make  nourishing  bread. 

When  born  today  on  the  straw  of  the  stable, 
the  Word  prepared  His  Eucharist,  and  saw  It 
in  all  His  mysteries  as  their  complement.  He 
came  on  earth  to  unite  Himself  with  man. 
During  His  life,  He  established  with  him  the 
union  of  grace,  the  union  of  example  and 
merits.  But  in  the  Eucharist  alone.  He  was  to 
consummate  the  most  perfect  union  of  which 
man  is  capable  here  below.  We  must  not  lose 
sight  of  this  divine  thought,  this  end  which  Our 
Lord  proposed  to  Himself,  if  we  wish  to  com- 
prehend the  divine  plan,  namely,  the  union  of 
grace  by  the  mysteries  of  His  life  and  death, 
and  the  union  of  body,  of  person,  in  the  Eu- 
charist, both  the  one  and  the  other  preparing 
the  consummation  of  unity  in  glory. 

Now,  as  the  traveller  never  loses  sight  of  the 
destination  he  has  in  view,  as  all  his  steps  tend 
thereto,  so  in  all  His  life  Our  Lord  was  secretly 
preparing  His  Eucharist. 

This  heavenly  Wheat  was,  as  it  were,  sown 
at  Bethlehem,  the  house  of  bread.  Behold 
It  on  the  straw.  That  straw  is  trodden  under 
foot,  broken — it  is  poor  humanity.  By  itself 
it  is  sterile.  Jesus  will  raise  it  up  in  Himself. 


CHRISTMAS  AND  THE  EUCHARIST.  299 


He  will  give  it  life,  He  will  render  it  fruitful: 
« Nisi  granum  frumenti  cadens  in  terram — 
Unless  the  grain  of  wheat  fall  to  the  earth.  » 
Behold  this  divine  Grain  sown!  His  tears  are 
the  moisture  that  will  make  it  sprout.  It 
will  become  beautiful.  Bethlehem  stands  on 
a hill  looking  toward  Jerusalem.  When  this 
Ear  is  ripe,  It  will  incline  toward  Calvary, 
where  they  will  mow  It  down,  and  expose  It 
to  the  fire  of  suffering  that  It  may  become 
Living  Bread. 

Kings  will  come  to  feed  upon  It,  and  It 
will  form  their  delights : « Panis  Aser,  deliciae 
regum — The  bread  of  Aser,  the  delights  of 
kings.  » He  invites  to  the  royal  marriage- 
feast  of  the  Lamb : « Currunt  Magi  ad  regales 
nuptias — The  Magi  hasten  to  the  royal  nup- 
tials. » The  Magi  here  represent  those  royal 
souls  that  are  masters  of  themselves,  and  who 
feed  in  our  day  on  the  Blessed  Sacrament. 

The  connection  between  the  Saviour’s  birth 
at  Bethlehem  and  the  Eucharist  viewed  as  a 
Sacrament,  is  found  again  with  the  Eucharist 
as  a Sacrifice. 

It  was  truly  a little  lamb  that  was  born 
at  Bethlehem.  Jesus  was  born  as  a lamb  in 
a stable,  and  as  if  He  knew  but  His  Mother. 


300 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


He  already  offers  Himself  in  sacrifice : « Hos- 

tias  et  ohlationes  noluisti,  corpus  autem  aptasti 
milii. — Father,  Thou  dost  not  longer  desire 
victims  nor  sacrifices  of  the  Law,  but  Thou  hast 
given  to  Me  a body.  Behold  Me ! » This  body 
is  the  condition  of  immolation.  Jesus  offers 
it  to  the  Father.  This  little  Lamb  grows  by 
His  Mother’s  side,  and  in  forty  days  she  will 
possess  the  secret  of  His  immolation.  She  will 
nourish  Him  with  her  pure  and  virginal  mdlk. 
She  will  take  care  of  Him  for  the  day  of  sacri- 
fice. The  character  of  victim  will  be  so  con- 
spicuous in  Him  that,  perceiving  it  on  the  very 
first  day  of  His  public  life,  St.  John  will  point 
Him  out  only  under  the  name  of  the  Divine 
Lamb : « Ecce  Agnus  Dei ! Ecce  qui  tollit 

peccata  mundi ! » 

The  Sacrifice  begun  at  Bethlehem  is  consum- 
mated upon  the  altar  at  the  Holy  Mass.  Oh, 
how  touching  is  midnight  Mass  in  the  Chris- 
tian world!  We  hail  it  long  before  the  time, 
we  rejoice  yearly  at  its  approach.  What  is  it 
that  imparts  to  our  Christmas  feast  its  charm? 
what  is  it  that  gives  joy  to  our  canticles,  trans- 
port to  our  heart,  excepting  that  upon  our 
altars  Jesus  is  really  born  anew  though  in  a 
different  state  ? Are  not  our  hymns,  our  homage, 


CHRISTMAS  AND  THE  EUCHARIST.  30I 


directly  offered  to  His  real  Person?  The  ob- 
ject of  our  festival,  as  well  as  of  our  love,  is 
present.  We  go  in  reality  to  Bethlehem,  and 
there  we  find  Him,  not  in  remembrance,  not 
in  an  image,  but  the  Divine  Infant  Himself! 

Again,  see  how  the  Eucharist  begins  at 
Bethlehem.  The  Emmanuel,  who  has  come  to 
dwell  among  His  people,  is  already  there. 
He  begins  on  this  day  of  His  birth  to  live 
among  us,  and  the  Eucharist  will  perpetuate 
His  Presence.  There  the  Word  was  made 
Flesh.  In  the  Sacrament,  He  makes  Himself 
bread  that  He  may  be  able  to  give  us  His 
Flesh  without  exciting  our  repugnance. 

There  again,  that  is  at  Bethlehem,  He  begins 
the  virtues  of  the  sacramental  state.  He  hides 
His  Divinity  in  order  to  familiarize  man  with 
God.  H e veils  PI  is  divine  glory  in  order  to 
come  by  degrees  to  the  veiling  of  even  His 
Humanity.  He  restrains  His  omnipotence  in 
the  feebleness  of  His  infantile  members.  Later 
on.  He  will  enchain  it  under  the  Sacred  Spe- 
cies. He  is  poor.  He  is  despoiled  of  every- 
thing — He,  the  Creator  and  Sovereign  Mas- 
ter of  all  things.  The  stable  is  not  His.  It 
is  lent  to  Him  as  an  alms.  He  lives  with  His 
Mother  on  the  offerings  of  the  shepherds  and 


302 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


the  Magi.  Later,  in  the  Eucharist,  He  will 
ask  of  man  a shelter,  the  matter  of  His  Sacra- 
ment, a vestment  for  His  priest,  furniture  for 
His  altar.  See  how  Bethlehem  proclaims  to 
us  the  Eucharist. 

There,  too,  we  find  the  inauguration  of  Eu- 
charistic worship  in  its  principal  exercise,  that 
of  adoration. 

Mary  is  the  first  adoratrix  of  the  Incarnate 
Word,  and  Joseph,  His  first  adorer.  They 
believe  firmly ; their  faith  is  their  strength, 
their  virtue.  « Beata  es,  Maria,  quae  credi- 
disti  — Blessed  art  thou,  O Mary,  who  hast 
believed!  » It  is  the  adoration  of  virtue. 

The  shepherds  and  the  Magi  adore  in  union 
with  Mary  and  Joseph. 

Mary  gives  herself  up  entirely  to  the  service 
of  her  Son.  She  is  all  attention  in  His  ser- 
vice, foreseeing  His  least  desires  in  order  to 
satisfy  them.  The  shepherds  offer  their  simple 
and  rustic  gifts;  the  Magi,  their  magnificent 
ones.  Theirs  is  the  adoration  of  homage. 

The  Eucharist,  also,  will  be  the  rendezvous 
of  all  conditions,  the  centre  of  the  Catholic 
world.  They,  too,  will  render  to  It  the  double 
worship  of  adoration : interior  adoration  of 
faith  and  love,  and  exterior  adoration  by  the 


CHRISTMAS  AND  THE  EUCHARIST.  303 


magnificence  of  the  gifts,  the  churches,  the 
thrones  on  which  will  appear  the  Eucharistic 
God. 


II 

He  birth  of  Our  Lord  suggests  to  me 
another  thought.  The  angels  announce 
the  Saviour  to  the  shepherds  by  these  words  : 
« Hodie  natus  est  vohis  Salvator.  — Today  is 
born  to  you  a Saviour.  » What  does  that 
mean?  A new  world  begins.  The  work  of 
Adam  is  about  to  be  overturned  and  supplant- 
ed by  one  of  divine  restoration.  There  are 
two  Adams,  each  the  father  of  a great  people. 
The  first  Adam,  terrestrial,  the  father  of  the 
degenerate  world;  de  terra  terrenus ; and  the 
second  Adam,  the  Father  of  the  regenerated 
w^orld,  de  coelo  coelestis.  Now,  the  second  came 
to  restore  all  that  the  first  had  destroyed. 
Ah,  well ! remark  that  this  restoration  is 
strictly  accomplished  here  below  only  by  the 
Eucharist. 

The  capital  point  of  Adam’s  fault,  like  the 
main  feature  in  the  diabolical  temptation,  is 
comprised  in  these  words:  « You  shall  be  as 
gods,  » and  in  the  sentiment  of  pride  that  it 
roused  in  him. 


304 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


You  will  become  like  unto  God!  Alas!  they 
became  like  unto  the  beasts.  Ah,  well!  Our 
Lord  came  to  take  up  the  promises  of  Satan, 
and  repeat  them  to  us,  but  with  the  intention  of 
accomplishing  them.  Satan  will  be  taken  in 
his  own  snare.  Yes,  we  shall  become  like 
unto  God  by  the  eating  of  His  Flesh  and  Blood. 

« You  shall  not  die  » — Immortality!  In 
Holy  Communion,  we  receive  a sure  pledge 
of  it : « He  who  eats  My  Flesh  and  drinks  My 

Blood  has  eternal  life,  and  I will  raise  him 
up  at  the  last  day.  » Our  Lord  promises  us 
eternal  life.  The  temporal  we  shall  lose.  But 
that  is  not  a life  worthy  the  name;  it  is  only 
a halting-place  on  our  way  to  true  life. 

« You  shall  be  like  unto  God!  » We  change 
our  state  by  rising  to  a more  perfect  union. 
A plebeian  maiden  becomes  a queen  when  a 
king  unites  her  to  himself.  Now,  Our  Lord 
associates  us  to  His  Divinity  by  communicating 
Himself  to  us.  We  become  His  Flesh  and 
His  Blood;  we  receive  the  divine  and  heavenly 
royalty  of  the  Creator.  Human  nature  has 
become  divine  in  the  hypostatic  union.  Com- 
munion also,  elevates  us  to  the  divine  union, 
and  renders  us  participants  of  the  nature  of 
God.  Less  perfect  nourishment  is  changed 


CHRISTMAS  AND  THE  EUCHARIST.  305 


into  US,  but  we  are  changed  into  Our  Lord 
who  absorbs  us.  We  become  members  of  God, 
and  in  heaven  we  shall  be  so  much  the  more 
changed  into  Jesus  Christ  by  our  frequent 
participation  in  His  adorable  Body. 

Lastly,  <<  You  shall  know  all  things.  » — 
Evil?  Yes.  — Good?  Certainly  not.  Where 
do  we  learn  this  divine  science  of  good,  except- 
ing in  Communion?  Listen  to  what  Our  Lord 
said  to  His  Apostles  after  having  communi- 
cated them;  « I will  not  now  call  you  ser- 
vants, but  friends ; because  all  things  what- 
soever I have  heard  of  My  Father,  I have  made 
known  to  you.  » Knowledge  is  given  us  in 
the  Eucharist  by  God  Himself,  who  becomes 
our  special  and  immediate  Teacher:  « Et 
erunt  omnes  docibiles  Dei.  » He  no  longer 
sends  us  prophets,  for  He  is  Himself  our 
Teacher.  You  shall  know  all  things,  for  He 
is  the  Divine  Science,  increated  and  infinite. 

Behold  how  the  Eucharist  perfects  the  resto- 
ration begun  at  the  Crib.  Rejoice  on  this 
beautiful  day,  on  which  arose  the  divine  Sun 
of  the  Eucharist.  May  your  gratitude  never 
separate . the  Crib  from  the  Altar,  the  Word 
made  Flesh  from  the  Man-God  made  the  Bread 
of  Life  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament! 


Adveniat  regmcm  Umm  / I Thy  kingdom  come  ! i 

I (Luke  x,  2. ) 


I 


Ay  Thy  kingdom  come ! May  it 
be  enlarged,  exalted,  perfect- 
ed! This  should  be  our  New 
Year  greeting  to  Our  Lord. 
May  it  be  fulfilled  wherever 
He  is  not  known,  not  loved! 
May  all  His  creatures  perfect  in  themselves 
the  work  of  the  Incarnation  and  of  the  Re- 
demption ! 

And  where  is  Our  Lord  known  and  loved? 
Ah,  the  Kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  is  very  small ! 
For  three  hundred  years,  they  have  retrenched 
His  rights  as  well  as  those  of  His  Church. 
They  pursue  Our  Lord.  They  snatch  from 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


307 


Him  His  temples  and  His  people.  Oh,  what 
Eucharistic  ruins! 

And  what  about  those  nations  that  have 
never  had  the  Faith?  How  will  Jesus  establish 
there  His  kingdom?  What  is  necessary  for 
that?  Ah,  listen!  Oyie  saint,  only  one  saint, 
would  suffice!  Desire  for  Our  Lord  good 
priests,  true  apostles.  That  ought  to  be  our 
constant  prayer.  The  poor  pagans  know  nei- 
ther their  Heavenly  Father,  nor  their  tender 
Mother,  nor  Jesus,  their  Saviour,  — and  we 
leave  them  in  that  sad,  sad  state!  O how 
cruel!  Let  us  extend,  let  us  enlarge,  by  our 
prayers,  the  kingdom  of  Our  Lord.  Let  pa- 
gans come  to  the  Faith,  let  them  know  their 
Saviour.  Let  heretics  and  schismatics  return 
to  the  sheepfold,  and  range  themselves  under 
the  crook  of  the  Good  Shepherd. 

And  among  Catholics,  how  does  Jesus  Christ 
reign  ? Ask  without  ceasing  the  conversion 
of  bad  Catholics,  who  have  but  little  faith. 
Ask  that  they  who  have  the  Faith  may  pre- 
serve it.  You  who  have  a family,  ask  that  all 
may  keep  their  Faith.  So  long  as  Judas  lived 
with  Our  Lord,  he  had  the  chance  and  the 
means  of  salvation.  One  word  would  have 
saved  him.  But  when  the  unhappy  man  left 


3o8 


THK  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Jesus,  he  came  to  an  evil  end.  He  fell  into 
the  abyss  of  perdition.  Ask,  then,  to  preserve 
faith  in  Jesus,  no  matter  in  which  one  of  His 
mysteries.  It  is  often  said  that  a good  Prot- 
estant is  better  than  a bad  Catholic.  But 
that  is  not  so.  Such  a declaration  means  that 
one  can  be  saved  without  the  true  Faith.  No, 
no!  The  bad  Catholic,  though  a prodigal,  a 
sinner,  is  always  the  child  of  God,  and  has 
a right  to  His  mercy.  The  bad  Catholic,  by 
his  Faith,  is  nearer  to  God  than  the  Protestant. 
He  is  still  in  the  house  of  his  Father,  which 
the  Protestant  is  not.  And  what  difficulties 
to  be  overcome  before  he  can  enter! 

In  laboring  at  the  preservation  of  the  Faith, 
use  Christian  language,  the  language  of  Faith. 
Change  the  forms  made  use  of  by  the  world. 
By  a culpable  tolerance,  we  have  banished  Our 
Lord  from  our  customs,  laws,  etiquette,  and 
circles  of  fashion.  In  a mixed  assembly,  we 
do  not  dare  speak  of  Jesus  Christ.  Even 
among  practical  Christians,  it  is  thought  strange 
to  mention  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment. It  is  alleged  as  an  excuse  that  there  are 
so  many  who  do  not  make  their  Easter  duty, 
do  not  go  to  Holy  Mass,  consequently,  some 
guest  might  be  offended  by  such  a subject. 


SIGHS  TO  JESUS  EUCHARISTIC.  309 


The  master  of  the  house  may  himself  be  among 
that  unhappy  number.  Religious  art,  moral 
truths,  the  beauties  of  religion,  will,  perhaps, 
be  discussed;  but  Jesus  Christ,  the  Eucharist, 
never!  Now,  let  us  try  to  change  all  that. 
Let  us  profess  our  Faith.  Let  us  learn  to  say. 
Our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  and  not  merely  Christ. 
We  must  proclaim  that  Our  Lord  has  the  right 
to  live  and  to  reign  in  the  language  of  society. 
It  is  dishonorable  in  Catholics  to  hide  Our 
Lord  under  a bushel  as  they  do.  We  should 
confess  Him,  make  Him  known  everywhere. 
He  who  makes  open  profession  of  his  Faith, 
who  courageously  pronounces  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  public,  draws  upon  himself  a 
grace  from  above.  Let  all  know  the  Faith  that 
we  profess. 

Atheists  proclaim  aloud  their  principles,  whole 
nations  glory  in  believing  nothing,  and  shall 
we  not  dare  to  make  known  our  Faith?  shall 
we  shrink  from  pronouncing  the  name  of  our 
Divine  Master?  We  ought  fearlessly  to  do  so. 
The  impious  are,  if  not  absolutely  possessed 
by  the . evil  one,  at  least  obsessed  by  him. 
Against  these  demons,  let  us  oppose  the  name 
of  Our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ.  If  every  faithful 
soul  would  take  the  resolution  to  speak  boldly 


310 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


and  reverently  of  Our  Lord,  the  face  of  the 
world  would  soon  be  changed.  The  thought 
of  Him  would  become  familiar.  The  great 
day  is  coming.  The  two  armies  are  standing 
face  to  face.  Thanks  be  to  God,  eclecticism  is 
no  longer  in  force.  We  must  be  either  of  the 
good  or  of  the  bad,  of  Jesus  Christ  or  of  Satan. 
Ah!  let  us  proclaim  Jesus  Christ,  let  us  sound 
His  name!  It  is  our  standard.  Let  us  bear  it 
nobly  aloft. 

Lastly,  let  the  reign  of  Our  Lord  come  into 
us,  into  our  soul.  Our  Lord  is,  indeed,  in  us. 
But  that  He  may  reign  in  us  absolutely,  there 
is  yet  much  to  be  done.  We  are  not  entirely 
conquered.  Our  Lord  does  not  yet  reign 
peacefully  by  a reign  of  harmony  and  love. 
The  frontiers  of  the  soul  are  not  yet  subjected 
to  Him;  and  what  sovereign  can  reign  as 
master  if  he  does  not  hold  the  boundaries  of 
his  dominions  ? 

Let  us  know  Our  Lord  more  perfectly.  Let 
us  enter  into  His  life.  His  sacrifices.  His  vir- 
tues in  the  Most  Holy  Sacrament,  and  into 
His  love.  Instead  of  always  living  in  self, 
let  us  mount  up  to  Him.  To  see  self  in  Him 
is  good,  but  to  see  Him  in  self  is  better. 
Instead  of  cultivating  self,  let  us  cultivate 


SIGHS  TO  JESUS  EUCHARISTIC. 


Our  Lord,  let  us  make  Him  increase  in  our- 
selves. Let  us  think  of  Him.  Let  us  study 
Him  in  Himself.  Let  us  enter  into  Him.  We 
shall  have  enough  in  Him  to  support  our  life. 
He  is  great.  He  is  infinite.  This  is  the  broad 
and  royal  road  that  ennobles  life. 

II 

He  must,  also,  console  Our  Lord.  He 
expects  from  us  consolation,  and  He 
will  receive  it  with  pleasure.  Let  us  ask 
Him  to  raise  up  good  priests,  apostolic 
priests,  saviours,  who  will  make  an  era  in  the 
world’s  history,  and  who  will  give  kingdoms 
to  God.  Ask  that  all  may  be  His,  that  He  may 
be  not  only  a Saviour,  for  that  supposes  too 
much  suffering,  but  that  He  may  be  a King,  a 
King  peaceful  and  absolute.  Console  Him  for 
this,  that  He  is  so  little  of  a King  in  His  own 
kingdom.  Alas!  Our  Lord  is  conquered!  In 
heaven  He  reigns  over  the  saints,  over  the 
angels.  There  He  is  the  all-powerful  Master, 
whose  will  is  faithfully  executed.  But  here 
below?  — Ah,  no!  Men,  His  redeemed.  His 
children,  have  vanquished  Our  Lord!  He  no 
longer  reigns  over  Catholic  society.  Let  us 


The  Divine  Eucharist. 


21 


312 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


allow  Him  to  reign  over  us,  at  least,  and  let  us 
labor  to  restore  His  kingdom  everywhere. 

Our  Lord  prizes  no  monuments,  however 
beautiful  they  may  be,  so  much  as  He  does 
our  heart.  He  seeks  these  hearts  of  ours,  and 
since  the  wicked  have  banished  Our  Lord,  let 
us  raise  His  throne  upon  the  altar  of  our  heart. 
Among  some  barbarous  tribes,  it  is  the  custom 
to  proclaim  a man  king  by  bearing  him  aloft 
on  their  shields.  Let  us  proclaim  Jesus  Christ 
our  King,  by  enthroning  Him  in  our  hearts, 
and  serving  Him  with  fidelity  and  devotedness. 
Ah,  how  Our  Lord  loves  our  hearts ! How 
much  He  yearns  for  them  I He  has  constituted 
Himself  a beggar  for  them.  He  begs  for 
them.  He  supplicates.  He  insists.  We  have 
already  refused  Him  a hundred  times.  No 
matter.  His  hand  is  still  outstretched.  But 
does  He  not  dishonor  Himself  still  to  beg  after 
so  many  rebuffs  ? Oh,  should  we  not  die  of 
shame  at  the  thought  of  Our  Lord’s  thus  sup- 
plicating, while  not  one  gives  Him  the  alms 
He  asks  I Oh,  what  affronts  He  endures 
while  in  search  of  our  hearts  I Above  all, 
does  He  pursue  Catholics,  pious  souls,  reli- 
gious, who  do  not  wish  to  give  Him  their 
hearts.  He  desires  all,  and  the  reason  of  His 


SIGHS  TO  JESUS  EUCHARISTIC. 


313 


passionate  seeking  is  His  love.  Among  two 
hundred  millions  of  Catholics,  how  many  love 
Him  with  the  love  of  friendship,  how  many 
love  Him  earnestly,  with  a true,  heartful  love? 
If  those,  at  least,  who  make  profession  of 
piety.  His  children.  His  religious.  His  virgins, 
belonged  absolutely  to  Him!  But  they  allow 
Him  to  enter  only  one  step  into  their  hearts, 
and  then  oppose  some  obstacles  to  His  further 
progress;  they  give  Him  this,  and  they  refuse 
Him  that.  And  yet  Our  Lord  wants  all,  asks 
for  all?  He  waits  despite  all  our  rebuffs. 

Let  us,  then,  love  Him  for  ourselves,  let  us 
love  Him  for  those  who  do  not  love  Him,  for 
our  friends.  Let  us  pay  the  debt  of  our  family, 
the  debt  of  our  country.  It  was  thus  that  the 
saints  did.  In  that  they  imitated  Our  Lord, 
who  loves  for  all  men,  who  goes  security 
for  the  whole  world. 

Ah,  may  Our  Lord,  the  sweet  Saviour  who 
loves  us  so  much,  become  the  Master,  the 
Spouse  of  our  soul  1 Can  it  be  possible  that  we 
do  not  love  Our  Lord  as  much  as  we  do  our 
relations,  our  friends,  ourselves?  Oh,  how 
blind  we  are!  how  bewitched  by  the  spirit  of 
the  world! 

If  we  could  pay  our  debt  of  love  by  one 


314 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


single  act,  doubtless,  we  would  do  it.  But  to 
give  again  and  again,  — that  taxes  our  courage 
too  heavily,  and  proves  indisputably  that  we 
do  not  truly  love. 

Ah,  how  we  grieve  Our  Lord  by  such  in- 
difference I We  know  that  mothers  die  of 
grief  caused  by  their  unworthy  sons.  If  Our 
Lord  were  not  immortal  by  nature.  He  would 
have  died  of  sorrow  a thousand  times  over 
since  He  has  been  enclosed  in  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament.  In  the  Garden  of  Olives,  without 
a miracle.  He  would  have  died  at  the  sight 
of  the  sins  that  He  had  to  expiate.  Now  He 
is  agonizing!  In  Himself,  He  is  glorious; 
but  in  His  works,  in  His  love.  He  is  very  much 
humbled:  « T actus  dolore  cordis  intrinsecus^ 
Consumed  with  inward  sorrow.  » 

Ah!  let  us  console  our  loving  Lord.  Man 
always  finds  some  one  to  respond  to  his  love 
— but  our  Lord?... 

Let  us  console  Him  for  the  ingratitude  of 
sinners,  but  above  all,  for  our  own.  Let  us  weep 
with  Him  over  the  defection  of  His  faithless 
ministers.  His  disloyal  spouses.  « It  is  too 
horrible  to  be  mentioned,  » they  say.  Think 
of  it  there  at  His  feet,  and  console  Him. 
Nothing  but  the  sin  of  Judas  could  have  made 


SIGHS  TO  JESUS  EUCHARISTIC.  315 


Our  Lord  shed  tears  of  blood.  Oh,  we  should 
never  more  be  joyful,  did  we  know  all  the  sub- 
jects that  Our  Lord  has  for  sorrow!  The  priest 
would  no  longer  be  willing  to  consecrate,  if 
Jesus  were  still  in  His  human  state  accessible 
to  sorrow.  Happy  it  is  that  His  love  alone 
bears  the  weight  of  all  these  outrages,  and 
that  He  can  die  nO'  more? 

One  distressing  fact  is  this,  that  pious  souls, 
the  spouses  whom  Jesus  Christ  guards  in  the 
world,  should  always  leave  perfection  to  reli- 
gious. « I am  not  obliged  to  it,  » they  say. 
« I have  not  made  the  vows  that  lead  to  per- 
fection. »...  They  have  not  the  courage  to 
love,  and  that  is  the  secret  of  their  indifference. 
Love  is  the  same  everywhere.  You  may  love 
more  in  your  state  than  a religious  in  his. 
His  state  is  more  perfect  in  itself,  but  your 
love  may  surpass  his. 

May  the  reign  of  Christ  be  established  in  us  1 
The  public  Exposition  of  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament  is  the  highest  of  graces.  After 
Exposition,  there  is  but  heaven  or  hell.  Man 
is  attracted  to  whatever  shines,  whatever  is 
brilliant.  Our  Lord  upon  His  throne  is  now 
casting  His  beams  around.  We  can  all  see 
Him.  We  have  no  longer  any  excuse.  Ah! 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


316 

if  we  leave  Him,  if  we  pass  before  Him  with- 
out being  converted,  Our  Lord  will  retire, 
and  that  grace  will  be  lost  forever. 

Let  us,  then,  serve  Our  Lord,  let  us  console 
Him.  Let  us  enkindle  the  fire  of  His  love 
wherever  it  does  not  yet  burn.  Let  us  labor  in 
His  Kingdom,  in  the  kingdom  of  His  love. 
Adveniat  regnum  tuum,  regnum  amoris..  May 
Thy  kingdom  come,  the  kingdom  of  Thy  love! 


4 
4 
4 

4 
4 
4 
4 
4 

Et  procedentes  adorave-  1 And  falling  down, they  ador- 
runt  eum.  1 ed  Him.  (Matt,  ii,  2.) 

Alled  to  perpetuate  before  the 
Most  Blessed  Sacrament  the 
adoration  of  the  Magi  at  the 
Crib  of  Bethlehem,  we  ought 
to  share  in  the  faith  and  love 
that  guided  and  sustained 
them.  They  began  at  Bethlehem  what  we  do 
at  the  foot  lof  the  Sacred  Host.  Let  us  study 
the  characteristics  of  their  adoration,  and  draw 
from  it  our  instruction. 

The  adoration  of  the  Magi  was  a homage 
of  faith,  a tribute  of  love  to  the  Word  Incarnate, 
and  such  ought  to  be  our  Eucharistic  adoration. 


^ 


The  EPIPHANY  and  the 


EUCHARIST. 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


31S 


I 

HHE  faith  of  the  Magi  shone  out  m 
splendor  owing  to  the  double  trial  to 
which  it  was  subjected  and  over  which  it 
triumphed,  namely,  the  silence  at  Jerusalem 
and  the  humiliation  of  Bethlehem. 

Like  wise  men,  the  royal  travelers  directed 
their  steps  toward  the  capital  of  Judea.  They 
expected  to  find  all  Jerusalem  in  joy,  the 
people  celebrating  high  festival,  happiness 
everywhere,  and  everywhere  signs  of  heartfelt 
gladness.  But,  oh,  their  sorrowful  surprise! 
Jerusalem  is  silent.  Nothing  in  or  around  it 
reveals  the  great  wonder.  Are  they  deceived? 
If  the  great  King  were  born,  would  He  not 
every\vhere  announce  His  birth?  Will  they 
not  become  objects  of  derision  and,  perhaps, 
of  insult,  if  they  proclaim  the  aim  of  their 
journey  ? 

Such  hesitation  and  such  language  would 
be  prudent  in  the  eyes  of  human  wisdom,  but 
unworthy  of  the  faith  of  the  Magi.  They  have 
believed,  and  they  are  come.  « Where  is 
bom  the  King  of  the  Jews?  » they  demand 
aloud  in  the  streets  of  astonished  Jerusalem, 
before  the  palace  of  Herod,  before  the  mul- 


— \ 

THE  EPIPHANY  AND  THE  EUCHARIST.  319 

titude  of  people  hastening,  without  doubt,  to 
witness  the  unusual  spectacle  of  the  entrance 
of  three  royal  personages  into  the  city.  « We 
have  seen  the  star  of  the  new  King.  We 
have  come  to  adore  Him.  Where  is  He?  You 
ought  to  know  Him,  you.  His  people,  who 
have  been  expecting  Him  for  so  long!  » 

But  the  people  keep  a gloomy  silence. 
Herod,  being  interrogated,  consults  the  an- 
cients and  the  priests,  who  answer  by  repeating 
the  prophecy  of  Micheas.  Thereupon,  Herod 
dismisses  the  strange  princes,  promising  to 
follow  them  himself,  and  adore  the  new  King. 
On  the  royal  word  they  depart.  They  go 
alone.  The  city  remains  indifferent.  The  Le- 
vitical  priesthood  itself,  like  Herod,  is  wailing 
in  hesitation  and  incredulity  the  issue  of  events. 

The  silence  of  the  world  around  us  is  also 
the  great  trial  of  faith  in  the  Eucharist. 

Suppose  some  noble  strangers  learned  that 
Jesus  Christ  dwelt  personally  in  His  Sacra- 
ment in  the  midst  of  Catholics,  those  happy 
mortals  who  have  the  privilege  of  possessing 
the  Person  of  the  King  of  heaven  and  earth, 
the  Creator  and  the  Saviour  of  the  world  — 
in  a word,  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Full  of 
the  desire  of  seeing  Him  and  paying  Him 


320 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


homage,  suppose  they  should  come  from  their 
far-off  countries  to  seek  Him  among  us  in 
one  of  our  brilliant  European  capitals.  Would 
they  not  be  subjected  to  a trial  similar  to  that 
of  the  Magi?  What  reveals  the  Presence  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  our  Catholic  cities?  — the 
churches?  But  Protestantism,  Judaism  have 
their  temples.  What  then?  — Nothing  I A 
few  years  ago  ambassadors  from  Persia  and 
Japan  visited  Paris.  Assuredly,  nothing  gave 
them  the  idea  that  we  possess  Jesus  Christ,  that 
He  lives  among  us,  that  He  seeks  to  reign  over 
us.  Oh,  what  scandal  to  those  outside  the  Faith  I 

This  silence  scandalizes  weak  Christians,  also. 
They  see  that  the  science  of  the  age  does  not 
believe  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Holy  Eucharist, 
that  the  great  do  not  adore  Him,  that  the 
powerful  do  not  render  Him  homage.  From 
this  they  conclude : « He  is  not  there.  He  does 
not  live,  He  does  not  reign  among  Catholics.  » 
— There  are  many  who  reason  thus.  The 
number  of  idiots  and  slavish  characters  is 
large  I 

And  yet,  in  the  Catholic  world,  as  in  Jeru- 
salem, there  is  the  word  of  the  prophets,  of 
the  Apostles,  of  the  Evangelists,  who  reveal  the 
sacramental  Presence  of  Jesus.  There  is  on 


\ 

THE  EPIPHANY  AND  THE  EUCHARIST.  32  I 


the  mountain  of  God,  visible  to  all,  the  Holy 
Church,  which  has  taken  the  place  of  the 
shepherds  and  the  star  of  the  Magi.  That 
Church  is  a sun  for  whoever  wishes  to  behold 
the  light.  That  Church  is  the  voice  on  Sinai 
for  whoever  wishes  to  listen  to  her  law.  She 
points  out  to  us  the  holy  Temple,  the  august 
tabernacle,  and  she  cries:  « Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God,  the  Emmanuel ! Behold  Jesus  Christ  I » 

At  the  sound  of  her  voice,  simple  and  upright 
souls  run  to  the  tabernacle,  as  the  three  royal 
Magi  hastened  to  Bethlehem.  They  love  the 
truth,  they  pursue  it  with  ardor.  And  such 
is  your  faith.  O ye  who  are  hearkening  to 
my  words!  Ye  have  sought  Jesus  Christ,  and 
ye  have  found  Him!  Ye  adore  Him,  and  in 
that  ye  are  blessed! 

The  Gospel  tells  us,  moreover,  that,  at  the 
words  of  the  Magi,  Herod  was  troubled  and 
all  Jerusalem  with  him. 

That  Herod  is  troubled  is  not  astonishing,  for 
he  is  a stranger  and  a usurper.  He  beholds 
in  Him  whom  the  Magi  announce  the  true  King 
of  Israel,  who  will  dethrone  him..  But  that 
Jerusalem  is  troubled  at  the  happy  news  of  the 
birth  of  Him  whom  they  have  been  expecting 
for  so  long  a time,  whom  she  has  saluted  since 


322 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Abraham  as  her  great  Patriarch,  since  Moses 
as  her  great  Prophet,  since  David  as  her  great 
King — this,  indeed,  is  incomprehensible ! Is 
the  nation  ignorant,  then,  of  the  prophecy 
of  Jacob,  which  designates  the  tribe  from  which 
He  is  to  come  forth? — that  of  David  which 
points  to  His  family,  that  of  Micheas  which 
names  the  city  of  His  birth,  that  of  Isaias 
which  chants  His  glory?  Can  it  be  possible 
that,  with  all  these  clear  and  brilliant  testimo- 
nies it  is  necessary  for  the  Gentiles,  so  despised 
by  the  Jews,  to  come  and  say  to  them:  « Your 
Messiah  is  bom ! We  have  come  to  adore  Him 
with  you,  to  share  in  your  happiness.  Show 
us  His  royal  dwelling,  and  permit  us  to  offer 
Him  our  homage.  » 

Alas ! this  horrible  scandal  of  the  Jews, 
troubled  at  the  news  of  the  birth  of  the  Mes- 
siah, is  perpetuated  in  the  midst  of  Christians. 
How  many  dread  a church  in  which  Jesus 
Christ  abides!  How  many  oppose  the  erection 
of  a new  tabernacle,  another  sanctuary!  How 
many  tremble  on  meeting  the  Holy  Viaticum 
carried  to  the  sick,  and  cannot  support  the 
sight  of  the  Adorable  Host!  Why  is  this? 
What  has  this  hidden  God  done  to  them? 

Ah!  He  strikes  them  with  fear,  because 


THE  EPIPHANY  AND  THE  EUCHARIST.  323 


they  wish  to  serve  Herod  and,  perhaps,  the 
infamous  Herodias.  And  this  was  the  last 
word  of  that  scandalous  Herodian,  and  it  will 
soon  be  followed  by  hatred  and  bloody  per- 
secution. 

The  second  trial  of  the  Magi  consists  in  the 
humiliations  of  the  Infant-God  at  Bethlehem. 

Very  naturally  they  expected  all  the  splen- 
dors of  heaven  and  of  earth  around  the  Crib  of 
the  new-born  Babe.  Their  imagination  has 
painted  its  magnificence.  They  heard  in  Jeru- 
salem the  glories  that  Isaias  predicted  of  Him. 
They  are  now  going,  as  they  think,  to  visit  the 
wonder  of  the  world,  the  temple  prepared  to 
receive  Him  — and  they  say  to  one  another 
on  the  way:  « Who  is  like  to  this  King?  — 
Quis  ut  Deus?  » 

But,  Oh,  surprise,  deception,  scandal  for  a 
faith  less  strong  than  theirs!  Led  by  the  star, 
they  go  to  the  stable,  and  what  do  they  behold 
there?  A poor  Babe  with  a poor  Mother! 
The  Infant  is  laid  upon  straw  like  the  lowest 
of  the  poor.  What  do  I say?  Rather  like 
the  little  new-born  lamb.  He  reposes  in  the 
midst  of  animals,  some  miserable  swathing- 
bands  protecting  Him  from  the  cold.  His 
Mother  is,  then,  very  poor,  since  she  has 


324 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


brought  Him  into  the  world  under  such  con- 
ditions. The  shepherds  are  not  there  to  re- 
count the  marvels  that  they  witnessed  in  the 
heavens.  Bethlehem  is  indifferent.  O God ! 
what  a trial!  Earthly  kings  are  not  born  thus 
— and  here  the  King  of  Heaven!  The  Beth- 
lehemites  had  come  to  the  grotto  at  the  story 
of  the  shepherds,  but  had  returned  incredulous 
What  of  the  Magi  Kings  ? See  them  kneeling, 
prostrate  on  the  ground,  adoring  in  the  most 
profound  humility,  adoring  that  tiny  Babe ! 
Tears  stream  from  their  eyes  as  they  gaze  upon 
Him,  His  poverty  ravishes  them  with  love!  — 
Et  procidentes  adoraverunt  eum ! — Great  God ! 
what  an  inexplicable  mystery!  Never  do  kings 
abase  themselves  before  other  earthly  sover- 
eigns ! The  shepherds  marveled  at  the  Sav- 
iour announced  by  the  angels,  but  the  Evan- 
gelist does  not  say  that  they  prostrated  to  adore 
Him.  It  was  the  Magi  who  rendered  Kim  the 
first  worship,  the  first  homage  of  public  adora- 
tion at  Bethlehem,  as  they  had  been  His  first 
Apostles  in  Jerusalem. 

What  is  it  that  they  see  in  this  stable,  in  this 
crib,  in  this  Child?  What  do  they  see?  Love! 
ineffable  love,  the  true  love  of  God  for  man! 
God  pressed  by  His  love  to  make  Himself  poor, 


THE  EPIPHANY  AND  THE  EUCHARIST.  325 


in  order  to  be  the  Friend,  the  Brother  of  the 
poor;  God  becoming  weak,  to  console  the 
weak  and  the  abandoned;  God  suffering  to 
prove  His  love.  That  is  what  the  Magi  saw. 
And  that  was  the  recompense  of  their  faith, 
that  was  its  triumph  over  its  second  trial. 

The  sacramental  humiliation  of  Jesus  Christ 
— behold  the  second  trial  of  Christian  faith ! 

Jesus  in  His  Sacrament  beholds  most  fre- 
quently only  the  indifference  of  His  own,  very 
often  even  their  incredulity  and  contempt.  To 
assign  a reason  for  this  sad  truth  is  very  easy. 
Mundus  eum  non  cognovit:  The  world  has  not 
known  Him. 

Perhaps  they  would  believe  in  the  truth  of 
the  Holy  Eucharist  if,  at  the  Consecration,  they 
heard,  as  at  His  birth,  the  concert  of  the  angels ; 
if  they  saw  as  at  the  Jordan  the  heavens  open- 
ing above  Him;  or  His  glory  shining  as  on 
Thabor;  or,  in  fine,  if  one  of  those  miracles, 
wrought  by  the  God  of  the  Eucharist  in  the 
course  of  the  ages,  was  renewed  before  their 
eyes. 

But  nothingness,  even  less  than  nothingness! 
It  is  the  annihilation  of  all  glory,  of  all  power, 
of  the  whole  being,  divine  and  human,  of  Jesus 
Christ.  They  see  not  even  His  human  face 


326 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


nor  do  they  hear  His  voice.  They  behold  no 
sensible  movement. 

It  is  said:  Life  is  motion.  Love,  at  least, 
manifests  itself  by  some  sign.  But  here  is 
reserve,  here  is  the  silence  of  death. 

Ye  are  right,  O men  of  pure  reason,  ye  glo- 
rious ones  of  this  world,  ye  philosophers  of  the 
senses,  ye  are  right,  a hrmdred  times  right  I — 
It  is  the  love  of  death  that  induces  the  Saviour 
to  bind  His  power,  which  makes  Him  annihilate 
His  glory  and  His  majesty,  both  divine  and 
human,  in  order  not  to  affright  man.  It  is 
the  love  of  death  which,  in  order  not  to  discour- 
age man,  leads  Him  to  hide  His  infinite  per- 
fections, His  ineffable  sanctity,  and  to  show 
Himself  to  him  under  the  light  veil  of  the 
Sacred  Species,  which  permits  Him  to  be  seen 
by  our  faith,  more  or  less,  according  to  the 
strength  or  the  weakness  of  our  virtue.  This 
is  what  makes,  not  the  scandal  of  the  true 
Christian,  not  the  trial  of  his  faith,  but  the 
life  and  the  perfection  of  his  love.  His  faith 
pierces  beyond  the  poverty,  the  feebleness,  the 
apparent  death  of  Jesus,  to  find  His  soul,  to 
consult  His  thoughts  and  His  admirable  sen- 
timents. Discovering  His  Divinity  united  to 
His  adorable  Body  and  hidden  under  the  Sa- 


THE  EPIPHANY  AND  THE  EUCHARIST.  327 


cred  Species,  the  Christian,  like  the  Magi,  pros- 
trates, contemplates,  and  adores.  He  is  trans- 
ported with  love.  He  has  found  Jesus  Christ! 
— Et  procidentes  adoraverunt  eum! 

Such  are  the  trials,  such  the  triumphs,  of 
the  faith  of  the  Magi,  and  of  the  faith  of  the 
Christian.  Let  us  examine  the  homage  of 
love  which  the  Magi  paid  to  the  Divine  Babe, 
and  see  what  homage  our  own  heart  ought  to 
render  the  God  of  the  Eucharist. 

H 

Aith  conducts  to  Jesus  Christ,  love  finds 
and  adores  Him.  What  was  the  love  of 
the  Magi  adorers? 

It  was  a perfect  love.  Now,  love  manifests 
itself  in  three  ways,  and  those  manifestations 
are  its  life. 

First,  it  manifests  itself  by  sympathy.  Sym- 
pathy of  soul  is  the  bond,  the  law  of  two  lives. 
By  it  one  becomes  like  the  other:  Amor  pares 
fecit.  The  action  of  natural  sympathy  and, 
with  stronger  reason,  of  supernatural  sym- 
pathy with  Our  Lord,  is  the  powerful  attrac- 
tion, the  uniform  transformation  of  two  souls 
into  one,  of  two  bodies  into  one.  As  fire 

The  Divine  Euchaiist.  22 


328  THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 

absorbs  and  transforms  into  itself  every  sym- 
pathetic matter,  so  is  the  Christian  transformed 
by  love  into  Jesus  Christ,  into  God:  Similes 
ei  erimus,  ' \ 

But  how  did  the  Magi  sympathize  so  quickly 
with  that  little  Child,  who  as  yet  spoke  no 
word,  revealed  no  thought?  Love  has  seen, 
love  is  united  to  love.  Ah!  do  you  not  see 
these  kings  kneeling  among  the  animals  before 
the  Crib  and,  in  that  state  so  humble,  so  hu- 
miliating for  kings,  adoring  this  feeble  Infant, 
who  gazes  on  them  in  childlike  simplicity  ? 
What  speech  effects  between  friends,  love 
alone  does  here.  Do  you  not  see  that  they 
imitate  as  closely  as  possible  the  state  of  the 
Divine  Infant?  Love  is  imitative,  because  it 
is  sympathetic.  They  would  wish  to  abase 
themselves,  to  annihilate  themselves  even  to 
the  bowels  of  the  earth,  the  better  to  adore,  the 
better  to  resemble  Him  who,  from  the  throne 
of  His  glory,  humbled  Himself  so  far  as  to 
descend  into  the  Crib  under  the  form  of  a slave. 

The  Magi  embrace  the  humility  that  the 
Word  Incarnate  has  espoused,  the  poverty 
that  He  has  deified,  the  suffering  that  He  has 
divinized.  Love,  we  see,  is  a transformer.  It 
produces  identity  of  life.  It  renders  kings 


THE  EPIPHANY  AND  THE  EUCHARIST.  329 


simple,  the  learned  humble,  the  rich  poor  of 
heart.  The  Magi  were  all  that. 

Sympathy  is  necessary  to  a life  of  love, 
because  it  sweetens  sacrifice  and  assures  con- 
stancy. Sympathy,  in  one  word,  is  the  true 
proof  of  love  and  the  pledge  of  its  duration. 
Love  that  is  not  sympathetic  is  a toilsome 
virtue,  sublime  sometimes,  but  without  joy, 
without  the  charms  of  friendship. 

The  Christian  called  to  live  the  life  of  love 
for  God,  has  need  of  this  sympathy  of  love. 
Now,  it  is  in  the  Holy  Eucharist  that  Our 
Lord  gives  us  the  sweet  testimony  that  He  loves 
us  personally  as  His  friends.  It  is  there  that 
He  permits  us  to  rest  our  heart  on  His  own, 
like  the  Beloved  Disciple.  There  it  is  that 
He  makes  us  taste,  at  least  in  passing,  the 
sweetness  of  the  celestial  manna.  It  is  there 
that  He  causes  us  to  experience  in  our  heart 
the  joy  of  possessing  its  God,  as  did  Zaccheus; 
its  Saviour,  as  did  Magdalen;  its  Sovereign 
Happiness  and  its  All,  as  did  the  spouse  in  the 
Canticles.  There  escape  those  sighs  of  love : 
« Oh,  how  sweet  Thou  art  I how  good  Thou 
art  I how  tender  Thou  art,  O Jesus,  toward 
him  who  receives  Thee  with  love!  » 

But  the  sympathy  of  love  stops  not  at  enjoy- 


330 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


ment.  It  is  a furnace  which  the  Saviour  has 
lighted  in  the  sympathetic  heart : « Carho  est 
Eucharistia,  quae  nos  inflammat  — The  Eu- 
charist is  a coal  that  inflames  us.  » Fire  is 
active,  it  is  an  encroacher;  and  so  the  soul 
feels  herself  forced  to  cry  out  under  its  action: 
« What  shall  I do,  O my  God,  in  return  for  so 
much  love?  » And  Jesus  answers:  « Thou 
must  become  like  unto  Me,  live  for  Me,  live  of 
Me.  » The  transformation  will  be  easy.  « In 
the  school  of  love,  » says  the  Imitation,  «they 
do  not  walk,  they  run,  they  fly:  Amans  currit, 
volat.  » 

Secondly,  love  manifests  itself  by  perfect 
similarity  of  sentiment.  It  desires  to  rule  over 
every  other  sentiment,  to  be  the  only  and 
absolute  master  of  the  heart.  Love  is  one. 
It  tends  to  unity.  Unity  is  its  essence.  It 
absorbs,  or  it  is  absorbed. 

This  truth  shines  forth  in  all  its  brilliancy 
in  the  adoration  of  the  Magi.  No  sooner  have 
they  found  the  Royal  Babe  than,  without  a 
glance  at  the  unworthiness  of  the  place,  at  the 
animals  that  find  there  a shelter,  and  thus 
render  it  more  repulsive;  without  demanding 
prodigies  from  Heaven,  or  explanations  from 
the  Mother;  without  curiously  inspecting  the 


THE  EPIPHANY  AND  THE  EUCHARIST.  33T 


Infant,  they  fall  at  once  on  their  knees  and 
adore  Him.  They  adore  Him  alone.  They  see 
only  Him.  They  are  come  but  for  Him. 
The  Gospel  makes  no  mention  of  the  honor 
they  rendered  to  His  holy  Mother.  In  pres- 
ence of  the  sun,  the  stars  cease  to  shine. 
Adoration  is  one,  like  the  love  that  inspires  it. 

Now,  the  Eucharist  is  the  perfection  of  the 
love  of  Jesus  Christ  for  man,  since  it  is  the 
quintessence  of  all  the  mysteries  of  His  life  of 
wSaviour.  All  that  Jesus  Christ  did  from  His 
Incarnation  even  to  His  Cross  had  for  end  the 
gift  of  the  Eucharist,  His  personal  and  cor- 
poreal union  with  every  Christian  by  Com- 
munion. He  saw  in  Communion  the  means  of 
communicating  to  us  all  the  treasures  of  His 
Passion,  all  the  virtues  of  His  Sacred  Human- 
ity, all  the  merits  of  His  life.  Oh,  the  pro- 
digy of  love ! « Qni  mandiieat  meam  carnem,  in 
me  manet,  et  ego  in  eo.  — He  who  eats  My 
flesh,  abides  in  Me,  and  I in  him.  » 

The  Eucharist  ought,  also,  to  be  the  per- 
fection of  our  love  for  Jesus  Christ,  if  on  our 
side  we  wish  to  reach  the  end  proposed  in 
Holy  Communion,  namely,  the  transformation 
of  ourselves  into  Him  by  union.  The  Eu- 
charist ought,  then,  to  be  the  rule  of  our  virtues, 


332 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


the  soul  of  our  piety,  the  supreme  desire  of 
our  life,  the  royal  and  dominant  thought  of  our 
heart,  the  glorious  standard  of  our  combats 
and  sacrifices.  Without  this  unity  of  action 
we  shall  never  arrive  at  the  perfection  of  love; 
but  with  it,  nothing  is  more  sweet  or  more  easy. 
We  then  have  the  power  of  the  whole  man  and 
of  the  entire  Godhead,  effecting  in  concert 
the  reign  of  love:  « Dilectus  mens  mihi,  et 
ego  illi.  — My  beloved  to  Me,  and  I to  him.  » 
Thirdly,  and  lastly,  love  manifests  itself  by 
gifts.  The  perfection  of  the  gift  speaks  the 
perfection  of  love.  The  Sacred  Writer  de- 
scribes in  most  explicit  detail  the  manner  and 
the  circumstances  of  the  Magi’s  gifts.  « And 
opening,  » says  he,  « their  treasures,  they  offer 
Him  gold,  incense,  and  myrrh.  » 

Gold  is  the  tribute  offered  to  kings.  Myrrh 
honors  the  sepulture  of  the  great.  Incense  is 
the  symbol  of  the  homage  that  we  owe  to  Al- 
mighty God.  Or,  rather,  these  three  gifts  re- 
present entire  humanity  at  the  feet  of  the  Infant 
God.  Gold  is  power  and  riches,  myrrh  is 
suffering,  incense  is  prayer. 

The  law  of  the  Eucharistic  worship  began  at 
Bethlehem  in  order  to  perpetuate  itself  in  the 
Cenacle  of  the  Eucharist.  The  kings  began; 


THE  EPIPHANY  AND  THE  EUCHARIST.  333 


we  ought  to  continue  their  homage.  Jesus 
in  the  Sacrament  has  need  of  gold,  because 
He  is  the  King  of  Kings.  He  has  need  of  gold, 
because  He  has  a right  to  a throne  more 
splendid  than  that  of  Solomon.  He  needs  gold 
for  His  sacred  vessels,  for  His  altar.  Is  it 
that  the  Eucharist  should  not  be  better  treated 
than  the  Ark,  which  was  made  of  the  finest 
gold,  the  purest  gold  given  by  the  faithful 
people  ? 

Jesus  in  the  Holy  Eucharist  has  need  of 
myrrh  no  longer  for  Himself,  for  He  consum- 
mated His  sacrifice  on  the  Cross,  and  the 
Resurrection  glorified  His  Divine  Body  and 
His  sacred  tomb.  But  having  constituted  Him- 
self our  perpetual  Victim  on  the  altar,  that 
Victim  must  needs  suffer,  but  in  us  and  by  us. 
He  finds  again  in  us  who  are  His  members, 
the  sense,  the  life,  and  the  merit  of  His  suffer- 
ing. We  complete  and  give  to  Him  His  true, 
actual  quality  of  immolated  Victim. 

Incense  is,  also,  due  Him.  The  priest  offers 
it  to  Him  every  day.  But  He  longs  still  more 
for  the  incense  of  our  adoration,  that  He  may 
give  us  in  return  His  blessings  and  graces. 

How  fortunate  we  are  to  be  able  by  the 
Eucharist  to  share  the  happiness  of  Mary,  of 


334 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


the  Magi,  and  of  the  first  disciples  who  ren- 
dered homage  to  Jesus  Christ!  We  have  in 
the  Holy  Eucharist  still  the  poverty  of  Beth- 
lehem to  succor.  O yes,  all  the  goods  of 
grace  and  glory  come  to  us  by  the  Divine 
Eucharist!  They  take  their  source  in  Bethle- 
hem, the  heaven  of  love.  They  were  accruing 
during  the  whole  life  of  the  Saviour.  All  these 
floods  of  grace,  of  virtues,  and  of  merits  are 
cast  into  this  ocean  of  the  Adorable  Sacrament, 
in  which  we  find  them  in  all  their  plenitude. 

But  our  duties,  also,  flow  from  the  Eucharist. 
The  love  of  the  Eucharist  obliges  us  to  a 
generous  return.  The  Magi,  the  first  adorers, 
are  our  models.  Let  us  be  worthy  of  their 
royal  faith  toward  Jesus  Christ.  Let  us  be 
the  heirs  of  their  love,  and  one  day  we  shall 
inherit  their  glory.  Amen ! 


Hcec  dies  quant  fecit  Domi-  I This  is  the  day  that  the  Lord 
nus.  hath  made. 

I (Psalm  cxvii,  24.) 


Ll  days  are  from  God.  His 
goodness  maintains  their  ad- 
mirable succession.  God  has, 
however,  left  to  man  six  days 
for  his  labors,  his  needs.  The 
seventh  He  has  reserved  for 
Himself.  Sunday  is  more  particularly  the  Day 
of  the  Lord,  the  Lord’s  Day.  But  among 
all  days  there  is  one  which  is  'par  excellence 
God’s  day.  It  is  called  God’s  day,  and  that 
is  the  Feast  of  Corpus  Chisti,  the  Feast  of 
God.  That  is,  indeed,  the  day  that  the  Lord 
hath  made  for  Himself,  for  His  glory,  and 
to  manifest  His  love.  The  Feast  of  God! 
What  a beautiful  title!  The  Feast  for  God, 


336 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


and  the  Feast  for  us,  also.  Let  us  see  in  what 
way. 

1 

Orpus  Christi,  which  the  Church  calls 
iLMi'  the  Feast  of  the  Sacred  Body  of  Christ: 
Festum  sacratissimi  Corporis  Christi,  is  the 
only  day  that  has  been  consecrated  to  honor 
solely  His  adorable  Person,  His  living  Pres- 
ence among  us.  Other  feasts  celebrate  some 
mystery  of  His  past  life.  They  are  beautiful, 
they  honor  God,  they  are  fruitful  in  graces  for 
us.  But,  after  all,  they  are  only  a memorial, 
an  anniversary  of  something  already  far  past, 
and  which  is  revived  only  by  our  piety.  The 
Saviour  Himself  is  no  longer  in  those  mysteries. 
He  accomplished  them  once,  and  now  His 
grace  alone  remains  in  them.  But  here  it  is 
an  actual  mystery.  This  Feast  relates  to  the 
Person  of  Our  Lord  living  and  present  among 
us.  For  that  reason  it  is  celebrated  in  a spe- 
cial manner.  Not  relics,  not  emblems  of  the 
past  are  exposed  for  veneration,  but  the  Object 
of  the  Feast  Itself,  which  is  living.  In  those 
countries  in  which  God  is  free,  see  how  all 
proclaim  His  Presence,  see  how  all  prostrate 
before  Him  I Even  the  impious  tremble  and 


THE  FEAST  OF  CORPUS  CHRISTI.  337 


incline.  God  is  there!  What  glory  for  the 
Presence  of  Our  Lord  is  this  Feast,  where  all 
acknowledge  and  adore  Him! 

■ Corpus  Christ!  is,  also,  the  most  lovely  of 
feasts.  We  have  not  been  present  at  the  mys- 
teries of  the  Saviour’s  life  and  death  that  we 
celebrate  in  the  course  of  the  year,  and  we 
rejoice  in  them  only  because  of  the  graces  that 
come  to  us  from  them.  But  here  we  do  really 
participate  in  the  mystery.  It  is  accomplished 
imder  our  eyes,  it  is  for  us,  it  has  a vital 
relation  between  Jesus  living  in  the  Sacrament 
and  ourselves  living  in  the  midst  of  the  world. 
It  bears  a corporeal  relation  of  body  to  body, 
and  it  is  called  not  simply  the  Feast  of  Our 
Lord,  but  the  Feast  of  the  Body  of  Our  Lord. 
It  is  by  that  Body  that  we  touch  Him,  that  He 
becomes  our  nourishment,  our  Brother,  our 
Guest.  — Feast  of  the  Body  of  Jesus  Christ! 
Oh,  what  love  those  words  breathe,  because 
they  are  lowly  and  suited  to  our  misery!  Our 
Lord  desired  this  Feast  in  order  to  draw  nearer 
to  us,  as  a father  is  anxious  that  his  son  should 
celebrate  his  natal  day,  that  he  may  show  his 
own  paternal  love,  and  grant  him  some  special 
favor. 

May  this  Feast,  then,  be  one  of  joy,  on 


338 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


which  we  may  expect  multiplied  favors.  All 
the  hymns  and  canticles  of  this  solemnity 
express  the  thought,  that  Our  Lord  will  be  on 
this  day  more  gracious  to  us  than  ever.  The 
Church  might,  it  would  seem,  have  celebrated 
Corpus  Christ!  on  Holy  Thursday,  since  it  was 
on  that  day  that  the  Eucharist  was  instituted. 
But  on  that  sorrowful  day  she  could  not  have 
sufficiently  shown  her  joy,  because  Holy  Thurs- 
day inaugurates  the  Passion,  and  it  would 
have  been  impossible  to  rejoice  in  the  thought 
of  death  which  dominates  the  great  days  of 
Holy  Week.  Corpus  Christi  was  deferred  till 
after  the  Ascension,  which  called  for  its  own 
sad  farewells,  and  which  witnessed  a sorrow- 
ful separation.  It  was  deferred,  also,  till  after 
Pentecost,  in  order  that,  filled  with  the  grace 
and  the  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  might  cele- 
brate with  all  possible  magnificence  the  Feast 
of  the  Divine  Spouse  dwelling  among  us. 

II 

Orpus  Christi  is  the  grandest  feast  of 
the  Church.  The  Church  is  the  Spouse 
of  Our  Lord  glorified,  of  Our  Lord  resuscitated, 
not  of  Jesus  in  His  birth  or  dying.  When 


THE  FEAST  OF  CORPUS  CHRISTI.  339 


those  mysteries  were  accomplished,  the  Church 
did  not  yet  exist.  Doubtless,  she  would  have 
followed  her  Divine  Spouse  to  the  Crib  and  in 
all  His  sufferings,  but  of  those  mysteries  she 
has  the  remembrance  and  the  graces. 

But  Jesus  Christ  is  with  His  Church  living 
in  the  Sacrament.  They  who  have  never  entered 
a church  look  upon  her  as  widowed;  they 
regard  her  as  a corpse,  and  consider  her  tem- 
ples as  places  in  winch  only  death  and  suffering 
are  mentioned.  But,  behold  today,  even  they 
who  do  not  attend  her  solemnities  see  her 
rich  and  beautiful,  beautiful  in  her  own 
natural  loveliness  to  which  God,  her  Spouse, 
has  added  His  Presence.  What  magnificent 
processions!  The  Faithful  prostrate  as  they 
pass.  She  shows  her  Spouse  in  the  radiant 
ostensorium  to  all  her  children.  Ah!  who  can 
call  her  a widow  on  this  day?  Her  friends 
adore,  her  enemies  tremble!  Jesus  manifests 
Himself  to  all,  blessing  the  good,  looking 
upon  sinners  with  compassion,  calling  them 
and  drawing  them  tO'  Himself.  The  Council 
of  Trent  calls  this  Feast  the  triumph  of  Faith. 
It  is  so,  indeed.  It  is,  also,  the  triumph  of 
the  Church  through  her  Divine  Spouse! 


340 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Ill 

F^^Astly,  this  Feast  is  ours,  adorers  of 
the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament.  The  So- 
ciety of  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament,  as  also 
its  different  branches,  exists  only  to  offer  to 
Jesus  Christ  a continual  Corpus  Christi.  To 
prolong  this  Feast  throughout  the  whole  year 
— behold  the  law  of  our  life  and  of  our 
happiness  I We  leave  to  other  children  of  the 
Church  the  charge  of  caring  for  the  poor,  of 
curing  the  moral  and  physical  wounds  of  poor 
humanity,  of  administering  the  Sacraments  ; 
but  we  are  called  to  perpetuate  the  Feast  of 
Corpus  Christi.  As  religious  this,  then,  is  our 
special  Feast.  And  you,  my  brethren,  it  is 
your  Feast,  also.  Are  you  not  entirely  de- 
voted to  the  service  of  the  Most  Blessed  Sac- 
rament ? At  night  you  retire,  and  leave  to  us 
the  care  of  Our  Lord.  It  is  proper  that  it 
should  be  so.  But  do  you  not  leave  your 
heart  at  the  feet  of  the  Divine  King,  and  may 
it  not  be  said  that  your  life  is  passed  there? 
And  when  you  communicate,  do  you  not  cele- 
brate in  your  heart  a true  Corpus  Christi? 
O you  know  the  joy,  the  happiness  that  Jesus 
brings  with  Him  I Yes,  I shall  even  say  that, 


THE  FEAST  OF  CORPUS  CHRISTl.  341 


for  souls  that  know  how  to  communicate,  there 
is  but  one  Feast,  and  that  is  to  communicate. 
They  find  therein  the  Object  of  every  mystery, 
Him  who  accomplished  them  and  in  whose 
honor  they  are  celebrated,  while  the  generality 
of  Christians  have  only  a faint  idea  of  them. 

Still  more:  I say  that  if  Our  Lord  did  not 
live  in  His  Sacrament,  every  Christian  feast 
would  be  only  a renewal  of  funereal  rites. 
But  the  Eucharist  is  the  Sun  of  the  festivals 
of  the  Church.  It  enlightens  them  and  gives 
them  their  joy. 

The  soul  that  communicates  well  and  often 
has  reason  to  call  It  a Juge  convivium,  a per- 
petual festivity.  — To  live  with  Jesus  interiorly, 
of  Jesus,  and  by  Jesus,  is  to  be  a tabernacle 
and  a precious  ciborium.  O what  is  not  the 
joy  of  such  souls,  joy  pure  and  unchangeable! 
Well  now,  let  us  learn  to  distinguish  those 
days  from  all  others.  Our  Lord  has  His  royal 
days,  and  this  is  one  of  them.  A king  knows 
how  to  dispense  his  largesses.  Offer  to  Him 
your  homage,  and  in  return  He  will  give  you 
all  that  you  want.  He  will  give  Himself  even 
with  greater  effusion  of  graces.  He  distin- 
guishes among  His  friends.  He  knows  those 
to  whom  He  owes  the  most  favors.  What  both 


342 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


you  and  I desire  on  this  beautiful  day  is, 
not  to  become  saints  laden  with  magnificent 
and  extraordinary  virtues  — when  shall  that 
be?  — but  to  be  very  happy  in  the  service  of 
God,  and  that  Our  Lord  may  communicate 
Himself  to  us  still  more  tenderly  and  lovingly. 
Feeling  ourselves  more  loved,  we  will  give 
ouiselves  more  entirely,  and  the  result  of  these 
two  loves  will  be  perfect  union.  In  that  union 
are  sanctity  and  perfection.  Let  us  ask  con- 
fidently for  the  grace  to  reach  it.  Give  your 
whole  heart.  Jesus  is  a tender  Father.  Be 
to  Him  loving  children.  He  is  a tender 
Friend  Oh,  taste  His  love!  He  who  has  never 
delighted  in  the  goodness  of  God  — I 
tremble  for  his  salvation ! Enter  into  that 
immense  goodness : Sentite  de  Domino  in  honi- 
tate ! 


Aint  Paul  wished  the  Ephe- 
sians to  know  by  the  grace  of 
the  Father,  from  whom  pro- 
ceeds every  gift,  the  super- 
eminent  knowledge  of  the  char- 
ity of  Jesus  Christ  for  men. 
He  could  wish  them  nothing  more  holy,  nothing 
more  beneficial,  nothing  more  important.  To 
know  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  filled  with 
its  plenitude  — that  is  the  reign  of  God  in  man. 
Now,  this  is  the  fruit  of  devotion  to  the  Sacred 
Heart  of  Jesus  living  and  loving  us  in  the 
Most  Blessed  Sacrament.  This  devotion  is  the 
sovereign  worship  of  love.  It  is  the  soul  of 
religion  and  its  centre,  for  religion  is  but  the 

The  Divine  Eucharist.  2? 


344 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


law,  the  virtue  and  the  perfection  of  love,  and 
the  Sacred  Heart  is  its  grace,  its  model,  and 
its  life.  Let  us  study  this  love  before  the 
furnace  on  which  it  is  consuming  Itself  for  us. 

Devotion  to  the  Sacred  Heart  has  a 
double  object.  First  of  all,  it  proposes  for 
honor,  by  public  adoration  and  worship,  Jesus 
Christ’s  Heart  of  flesh,  and  afterward  the  in- 
finite love  with  which  that  Heart  has  burned 
for  us  since  Its  creation,  and  which  still  con- 
sumes It  in  the  Sacrament  of  our  altars. 

I 

F all  the  noble  organs  of  the  human 
'1^^!  body,  the  heart  is  the  noblest.  It  is 
placed  in  the  centre  of  the  human  frame,  like 
a king  in  the  midst  of  his  states.  It  is  imme- 
diately surrounded  by  the  most  important  mem- 
bers, which  are,  as  it  were,  its  ministers,  its  of- 
ficers. It  animates  them,  gives  them  activity 
by  communicating  to  them  the  vital  heat  of 
which  it  is  the  reservoir.  It  is  the  source 
from  which  impetuously  flows  the  blood  that 
is  spread  through  every  part  of  the  human  or- 
ganism, to  give  it  life  and  health.  This  blood, 
becoming  impure  in  its  journey,  returns  from 


THE  SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS.  345 


every  part  to  the  heart,  there  to  regain  vital 
heat  and  new  life. 

What  is  true  of  the  human  heart  in  general, 
is  true  of  the  adorable  Heart  of  Jesus  Christ. 
It  is  the  most  noble  portion  of  the  body  of  the 
Man-God,  hypostatically  united  to  the  Word, 
and  thereby  deserving  the  supreme  worship  of 
adoration  due  to  God  alone.  It  is  important 
not  to  separate  in  our  veneration  the  Heart 
of  Jesus  from  the  Divinity  of  the  Man-God, 
for  that  is  united  to  It  by  indissoluble  bonds. 
The  worship  that  we  pay  It  stops  not  at  It 
alone,  but  in  the  Adorable  Person  who  pos- 
sesses It,  and  tO'  whom  It  is  forever  united. 

It  follows,  consequently,  that  we  may  address 
to  this  Divine  Heart  the  prayers,  the  homage, 
the  adoration  that  we  offer  to  God  Himself. 
It  is,  also,  a consequence  of  the  same  truth 
that  they  who,  hearing  the  words,  « The  Heart 
of  Jesus,  » limit  their  idea  of  It  to  the  material 
organ,  are  deceived.  They  look  upon  this 
Heart  but  as  a member  without  life  or  love, 
just  as  they  would  regard  a holy  relic.  Lastly, 
they,  too,  are  deceived  who  think  that  this  de- 
votion divides  Jesus  Christ  and  restricts  to  His 
Heart  alone  a worship  that  ought  to  be  ren- 
dered to  His  whole  Person.  They  do  not 


346 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


reflect  that  in  honoring-  the  Heart  of  Jesus, 
we  do  not  suppress  the  rest  of  the  divine  com- 
pound of  the  Man-God;  for  in  honoring  His 
Heart,  we  wish  to  celebrate  all  the  actions, 
all  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  are  but  the 
outward  diffusion  of  His  Heart. 

As  in  the  sun  are  formed  and  from'  it  proceed 
the  burning  rays  that  fertilize  the  earth,  giving 
life  to  all  that  lives,  sq  it  is  from  the  heart  that 
come  forth  the  sweet  and  strong  influences 
that  carry  vital  heat  and  vigor  into  all  the  mem- 
bers. If  the  heart  languishes,  the  whole  man 
languishes  with  it;  if  it  suffers,  all  the  other 
members  suffer ; if  it  performs  its  functions 
abnormally,  the  whole  organism  feels  it.  The 
fimction  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus  was,  then,  to 
vivify,  to  strengthen,  to  sustain  all  the  mem- 
bers, all  the  organs,  all  the  senses  by  Its  con- 
stant influence,  so  that  It  was  the  principle  of 
the  actions,  the  affections,  the  virtues,  and  the 
whole  life  of  the  Word  made  Flesh. 

According  to  the  opinion  of  all  philosophers, 
the  heart  is  the  seat  of  love  and,  as  the  spring 
of  the  whole  life  of  Jesus  was  love,  it  is  to 
His  Heart  that  we  ought  to  refer  all  His  mys- 
teries and  all  His  virtues.  « As  it  is  the 
nature  of  fire  to  burn,  » says  Saint  Thomas, 


THE  SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS.  347 


« SO  it  is  natural  for  the  heart  to  love;  and 
becausje  it  is  in  man  the  first  organ  of  feeling, 
it  is  proper  that  the  act  commanded  by  the 
first  of  all  the  precepts  should  be  rendered 
sensible  by  the  heart.  » 

In  the  same  way  that  the  eyes  see,  and  the 
ears  hear,  does  the  heart  love.  It  is  the  soul’s 
organ  in  the  production  of  love  and  the 
affections.  Ordinary  language  has  confounded 
two  expressions,  and  we  use  the  word  heart 
to  express  love,  and  vice,  versa.  The  Heart 
of  Jesus  has,  then,  been  the  organ  of  His  love; 
It  has  co-operated  with  His  love,  It  has  been 
its  principle  and  seat.  It  has  experienced  all 
the  impressions  of  love  that  can  touch  the  heart 
of  man,  with  this  difference,  that  the  Soul  of 
Jesus  Christ  loving  with  an  incomparable  and 
infinite  love.  His  H^eart  was  a furnace  of  love 
for  God  and  for  us.  The  most  ardent  and 
pure  flames  of  divine  love  incessantly  escaped 
from  It.  They  inflamed  It  from  the  first 
instant  of  His  conception  until  His  last  sigh; 
and  since  His  Resurrection,  they  have  not 
ceased,  and  they  never  will  cease,  to  consume 
It.  It  has  produced,  and  It  daily  produces^ 
innximerable  acts  of  love,  every  one  of  which 
honors  God  more  than  all  those  that  the  angels 


348 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


and  saints  will  ever  make.  It*  is,  then,  of  all 
created  creatures,  that  which  contributes  most 
to  the  glory  of  the  Creator,  and  which  merits 
more  the  worship  and  love  of  angels  and  men. 

All  that  belongs  to  the  Person  of  the  Son 
of  God  is  infinitely  worthy  of  veneration.  The 
least  part  of  His  Body,  the  smallest  drop  of 
PI  is  Blood,  deserves  the  admiration  of  heaven 
and  earth.  Things  the  most  vile  in  themselves 
become  venerable  by  the  mere  touch  of  His 
Flesh,  as  appears  in  the  cross,  the  nails,  the 
thorns,  the  sponge,  the  lance,  and  all  the  instru- 
ments of  His  Passion.  But  how  much  should 
we  venerate  His  Heart,  whose  excellence  is 
founded  on  the  nobility  of  the  functions  that 
It  exercises,  upon  the  perfection  of  the  senti- 
ments which  It  produces,  and  of  the  actions 
which  It  inspires.  If  Jesus  was  born  in  a 
stable,  if  He  lived  poor  at  Nazareth,  if  He 
died  for  us,  we  owe  it  to  His  Heart.  It  was 
in  that  sanctuary  that  were  formed  all  the 
heroic  resolutions,  all  the  designs  that  inspired 
His  life.  His  Heart  ought,  therefore,  to  be 
honored  as  the  Crib,  in  which  the  faithful  soul 
beholds  Him  coming  into  the  world  poor  and 
abandoned ; as  the  pulpit  from  which  He 
preaches  His  precept : « Learn  of  Me  that  I am 


THE  SACRED  HEART  OE  JESUS.  349 


meek  and  humble  of  Heart  »;  as  the  Cross  on 
which  He  expired ; as  the  Sepulchre  from  which 
we  contemplate  Him  rising  glorious  and  im- 
mortal; and  as  the  eternal  Gospel  which  teach- 
es us  to  imitate  all  the  virtues  of  which  It 
is  the  accomplished  model. 

The  soul  devoted  to  the  Sacred  Heart  will 
at  times  give  herself  especially  to  the  exercise 
of  divine  love,  because  this  Heart  is,  above 
all,  the  seat  and  the  symbol  of  that  love ; 
and,  as  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  is  the 
sensible  and  lasting  pledge  of  love,  it  is  from 
His  Eucharistic  Heart  that  she  will  learn  to 
love. 


II 

||E^Esus  Christ,  desiring  to  be  ever  loved 
by  man,  had  ever  to  testify  to  him  His 
love ; and,  as  if  to  vanquish  our  heart,  God  had 
to  become  man,  sensible  and  tangible.  Then, 
in  order  that  His  conquest  might  be  assured  to 
Him,  He  was  obliged  to  continue  making  His 
love  felt  as  a sensible  and  human  love.  The 
law  of  love  is  unchanging;  its  grace  had  to  be 
so,  too.  This  sun  of  love  must  never  go  down 
upon  the  heart  of  man,  otherwise  it  would 
freeze,  or  the  chill  hand  of  death  and  forget- 


350 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


fulness  stifle  it.  The  human  heart  gives  itself 
only  to  life,  unites  itself  only  to  actual  love, 
which  it  feels,  and  which  imparts  to  it  actual 
proofs  of  its  existence. 

Ah,  well!  All  the  love  of  the  mortal  life 
of  Jesus — His  love  as  an  Infant  in  the  Crib, 
His  zealous  love  as  an  Apostle  of  His  Father 
during  His  preaching  life.  His  love  as  a Victim 
on  the  Cross — all  these  loves  are  united  and 
triumphant  in  His  glorified  and  living  Heart 
in  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  It  is  there  that 
we  should  seek  it  and  nourish  ourselves  with 
it.  It  is  in  heaven,  also,  but  there  it  is  for  the 
angels  and  the  crowned  saints.  In  the  Eucha- 
rist, it  is  for  us.  Our  devotion  toward  the 
Sacred  Heart  ought,  then,  to  be  Eucharistic, 
centred  in  the  Divine  Eucharist  as  in  the  only 
personal  and  living  centre  of  the  love  and  of 
the  graces  of  the  Sacred  Heart  for  men. 

Why  separate  the  Heart  of  Jesus  from  His 
Person  and  from  His  Divinity?  Is  it  not  by 
His  Heart  that  He  lives  in  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment, and  that  His  Body  is  living  and  animat- 
ed? Jesus  resuscitated,  dies  no  more.  Why 
separate  His  Heart  from  His  Person  and  make 
Rim  die,  so  to  speak,  in  our  idea  of  Him?  No, 
no,  this  Divine  Heart  is  in  the  Holy  Eucharist 


THE  SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS.  351 


living  and  beating, — no  longer  with  the  life 
of  the  Saviour  passible  and  mortal,  capable  of 
sadness,  sorrow,  agony,  but  with  a life  resus- 
citated and  perfected  in  beatitude.  This  im- 
IKJSsibility  of  suffering  and  dying  diminishes 
nothing  of  the  reality  of  His  life.  On  the 
contrary,  it  renders  it  more  perfect.  Never 
can  death  attack  Him  in  God.  He  is  the 
source  of  perfect  and  eternal  life. 

The  Heart  of  Jesus  lives  in  the  Eucharist, 
since  His  Body  is  living  there.  True,  this 
Divine  Heart  is  not  visible  to  the  senses,  but 
that  is  the  case  with  all  men.  The  principle  of 
life  should  be  Veiled  and  mysterious.  To  ex- 
pose it  would  be  its  death.  We  mark  its  exist- 
ence only  by  the  effects  it  produces.  Man 
asks  not  to  see  the  heart  of  his  friend,  for  one 
word  is  sufficient  to  prove  to  him  its  love.  And 
how(  is  it  with  the  Divine  Heart  of  Jesus?  It 
manifests  Itself  to  us  by  the  sentiments  with 
which  It  inspires  us,  and  that  ought  to  be  suf- 
ficient for  us.  Who,  on  the  other  hand,  could 
contemplate  the  beauty,  the  goodness  of  this 
Divine  Heart?  Who  could  support  the  bril- 
liancy of  Its  glory,  the  consuming,  the  devour- 
ing flames  of  this  furnace  of  love  ? Who 
w^ould  dare  gaze  upon  this  Divine  Ark  in 


352 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST 


which  all  Its  virtues  are  glorified,  in  which  His 
love  has  its  throne,  and  His  goodness  all  its 
treasures?  Who  could  penetrate  into  the  sanc- 
tuary of  the  Divinity?  The  Heart  of  Jesus! 
the  Heaven  of  heavens  inhabited  by  God  Him- 
self, who  therein  finds  His  delights! 

No,  we  do  not  see  the  Eucharistic  Heart  of 
Jesus,  but  we  possess  It.  It  is  ours! 

Would  you  know  Its  life  ? It  is  shared 
between  His  Father  and  us. 

It  protects  us  and,  while  enclosed  in  a weak 
Host,  the  Saviour  seeming  to  sleep  the  sleep 
of  impotence.  His  Heart  watches:  Ego  dormio, 
et  Cor  meum  vigilat.  He  is  watching  when 
we  think  of  Him  and  when  we  do  not  think  of 
Him.  He  takes  no  repose.  He  is  continually 
crying  to  His  Father  for  pardon  for  us.  Jesus 
covers  us  with  His  Heart  and  protects  us  from 
the  blows  of  the  divine  wrath,  provoked  by 
our  incessant  sins.  His  Heart  is  there  as  on 
the  Cross,  open  and  shedding  on  our  heads 
torrents  of  grace  and  love. 

That  Heart  is  there  to  defend  us  from  our 
enemies,  as  a mother  to  save  her  child  from 
danger,  pressels  it  tO'  her  heart  that  it  may  not 
be  able  toi  attack  the  child  without  attacking 
the  mother.  « And  should  a mother,  » as  Jesus 


THE  SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS.  353 


says,  • « forget  her  child,  yet  will  I never  aban- 
don yon.  » 

The  second  glance  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus  is 
to  His  Father.  He  adores  Him  by  His  inef- 
fable abasement,  by  His  adoration  of  annihila- 
tion. He  praises  Him,  thanks  Him  for  the 
benefits  that  He  grants  to  men,  His  brethren. 
He  offers  Himself  as  a victim  to  the  justice 
of  His  Father,  and  His  prayer  for  the  Church, 
for  sinners,  for  all  the  souls  that  He  has  re- 
deemed, is  incessant. 

O Father,  look  with  pleasure  upon  the  Heart 
of  Thy  Divine  Son  Jesus!  Behold  His  love, 
hear  His  sighs,  and  may  the  Eucharistic  Heart 
of  Jesus  be  our  salvation! 

Ill 

K|S]He  reason  for  which  the  Feast  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  was  instituted,  the  manner 
by  which  Jesus  manifested  His  Heart,  are 
another  proof  that  it  is  in  the  Eucharist  that 
we  ought  to  honor  Him,  and  that  it  is  there 
we  shall  find  Him  with  all  His  love. 

It  was  before  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament 
exposed  that  Blessed  Margaret  Mary  received 
the  revelation  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  It  was  in 


354 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


the  Host  that  Jesus,  holding-  His  Heart  in  His 
hands,  manifested  Himself  to  her  and  addressed 
to  her  these  adorable  words,  the  most  eloquent 
commentary  on  His  Presence  in  the  Sacrament: 

« Behold  this  Heart  which  has  so  loved  men!  » 

And  Our  Lord,  appearing  to  the  Venerable 
Mother  Mechtilde,  foundress  of  a Society  of 
Adoratrices,  commanded  her  ardently  to  love 
and  honor,  as  much  as  she  possibly  could.  His 
Sacred  Heart  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  He 
gave  It  to  her  as  a pledge  of  His  love,  to  be 
her  refuge  during  life  and  her  consolation  at 
the  hour  of  death. 

The  object  of  the  Feast  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
is  to  honor  with  more  fervor  and  devotion  the 
love  of  Jesus  Christ  suffering  and  instituting 
the  Sacrament  of  His  Body  and  Blood. 

To  enter  into  the  spirit  of  devotion  toward 
the  Heart  of  Jesus,  we  ought,  then,  to  honor  the 
past  sufferings  of  the  Saviour,  and  repair  the 
acts  of  ingratitude  with  which  He  is  drenched 
daily  in  the  Eucharist. 

How  great  have^  been  the  sorrows  of  the 
Heart  of  Jesus!  All  trials  have  been  united 
in  It.  It  was  saturated  with  humiliations.  The 
most  revolting  calumnies  assailed  It,  raging 
to  dishonor  It.  It  has  been  satiated  with  op- 


THE  SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS.  355 


probrium,  all  kinds  of  contempt  have  been  cast 
upon  It.  But  in  spite  of  everything’,  Jesus 
offered  Himself  because  He  willed  it,  and  that 
without  a complaint.  His  love  was  stronger 
than  death,  and  the  torrents  of  desolation  have 
never  extinguished  its  ardor.  These  dolors 
are,  without  doubt,  over;  but  since  it  was  for 
us  that  Jesus  endured  them,  our  gratitude  ought 
never  to  cease.  Our  love  ought  to  honor  them, 
as  if  they  were  going  on  under  our  own  eyes. 
And  this  Heart,  which  has  endured  them  with 
so  much  love,  is  there  in  the  Eucharist.  It  is 
not  dead,  but  living  and  acting.  It  is  not 
insensible,  but  even  more  loving! 

Alas!  Although  Jesus  can  no  longer  suffer, 
men  exhibit  toward  Him  monstrous  ingrati- 
tude ! Their  ingratitude  toward  a God  present, 
living  with  us  to  gain  our  love  — ah,  behold 
the  supreme  torment  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus  in 
the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament! 

Man  is  indifferent  to  this  supreme  Gift  of 
Jesus’  love  for  him.  He  makes  no  account 
of  It,  he  does  not  even  think  of  It;  or  if  the 
thought  of  It  intrudes  itself  upon  him,  if  Jesus 
wills  to  rouse  him  from  his  torpor,  he  banishes 
the  idea  as  importunate.  He  does  not  want 
the  love  of  Jesus  Christ ! 


356 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Again,  urged  by  faith,  by  the  memory  of  a 
Christian  education,  by  the  sentiment  which 
God  places  in  the  bottom  of  his  heart  to  adore 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  Eucharist  as  his  Lord,  to 
return  to  His  service,  impious  man  rises  up 
against  this  dogma,  of  all  others  the  most  lov- 
able. He  goes  so  far  as  even  to  deny  it,  even 
to  apostatize,  that  he  may  not  have  to  adore 
his  Eucharistic  God  nor  sacrifice  to  Him  some 
idol,  some  passion.  He  desires  to  remain  in 
his  shameful  chains. 

Man’s  malice  goes  still  further.  He  is  not 
content  with  denying;  he  does  not  recoil  from 
the  crime  of  renewing  the  horrors  of  the 
Saviour’s  Passion ! 

And  we  see  Christians  despising  Jesus  in  the 
Most  Blessed  Sacrament,  despising  that  Heart 
which  has  loved  them  so  much,  and  which  is 
consuming  Itself  for  love  of  them!  To  despise 
Him,  they  take  advantage  of  the  veil  that  hides 
Him! 

They  insult  Him  by  their  irreverence,  their 
guilty  thoughts,  their  criminal  glances  in  His 
Presence.  Like  the  impious  soldiers  of  Caia- 
phas,  Herod,  and  Pilate,  they  take  advantage  of 
His  unalterable  patience.  His  gentleness  and 
silence.  They  sacrilegiously  blaspheme  the  God 


THE  SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS.  357 


of  the  Eucharist.  They  know  that  His  love 
seals  His  lips.  They  even  crucify  Him  in 
their  guilty  soul,  for  they  receive  Him!  They 
dare  to  take  His  living  Heart,  bind  It  to  their 
own  infected  corpse,  and  deliver  It  to  the 
demon  that  rules  over  them  1 

No^  never  did  Jesus  receive  in  the  days 
of  His  Passion  so  much  humiliation  as  He 
does  in  His  Sacrament!  Earth  is  for  Him  a. 
Calvary  of  ignominy. 

Ah!  He  looks  for  a consoler  in  His  agony. 
On  the  Cross,  He  asked  men  to  compassionate 
His  sorrow;  today  more  than  ever,  reparation, 
the  reparation  of  honor  to  the  adorable  Heart 
of  Jesus  is  necessary!  Let  us  surround  the  Eu- 
charist with  our  adoration,  with  our  love!  To 
the  Heart  of  Jesus  living  in  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament,  honor,  praise,  adoration,  and  royal- 
ty forever  and  ever! 


Ecce  ego  creo  ccelosnovos,  et 
gaudebitis  et  exultabitis  in 
sempiternum  in  his  guce  ego 
creo. 


For  behold,  I create  new 
heavens  and  a new  earth .... 
and  you  shall  be  glad  and  re- 
joice forever  in  these  things 
that  I create. 

(ISAIAS  LXV,  17.) 


I 


Hen  mounting  to  heaven  on 
the  day  of  the  Ascension,  Je- 
sus Christ  went  to  take  pos- 
session of  His  glory  and  to 
prepare  a place  for  us.  With 
Him  redeemed  humanity  en- 
ters heaven.  We  know  that  it  is  no  longer 
closed  to  us,  and  we  live  in  the  expectation 
of  the  day  on  which  its  portals  will  open  to  us. 
This  hope  sustains  and  encourages  us.  It 
should  in  itself  be  sufficient  to  make  us  lead 
a Christian  life  in  order  not  to  lose  it,  and  we 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


359 


should  be  willing  to  endure  for  it  all  kinds  of 
trials.  Our  Lord,  however,  to  keep  alive  in  us 
and  to  render  more  efficacious  the  hope  of 
heaven,  to  make  us  await  patiently  its  glory,  and 
to  conduct  us  thereto,  created  the  beautiful 
heaven  of  the  Eucharist.  Ah,  the  Eucharist 
is  a beautiful  heaven,  heaven  commenced!  Is 
it  not  Jesus  glorified  coming  from  heaven  to 
earth,  and  bringing  heaven  with  Him?  Is  not 
heaven  everywhere  that  Jesus  is?  His  state 
in  the  Eucharist,  although  veiled  to  our  senses, 
is  glorified,  triumphant,  beatified.  He  has  no 
more  of  life’s  miseries  and,  when  we  communi- 
cate, we  receive  heaven,  since  we  receive  Jesus, 
who  makes  all  the  happiness  and  glory  of  Para- 
dise. What  glory  for  a subject  to  entertain 
his  king!  We  are  thus  glorified,  for  we  re- 
ceive the  King  of  Heaven!  Jesus  comes  to  us 
that  we  may  not  forget  our  true  country,  or 
better  still,  that  by  thinking  of  it  we  may  lan- 
guish with  desire  for  it  and  with  weariness  of 
our  exile.  He  comes  and  remains  corporally 
in  our  heart  as  long  as  the  Sacrament  lasts; 
then,  the  Species  destroyed,  He  mounts  again 
to  heaven,  though  still  abiding  in  us  by  His 
grace  and  by  His  presence  of  love.  Why  does 
He  not  remain  actually  longer?  Because  the 

The  Divine  Eucharist.  24 


360 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


condition  of  His  corporaL  presence  is  the  integ- 
rity of  the  Sacred  Species. 

Jesus  coming  to  us,  brings  with  Him  the 
fruits  and  flowers  of  Paradise.  What  are  those 
fruits  and  flowers?  I know  not.  We  do  not 
see  them,  but  we  perceive  their  perfume.  He 
brings  to  us  His  glorified  merits,  His  sword 
victorious  over  Satan.  He  brings  to  us  His 
arms,  that  we  may  defend  ourselves  with  them; 
His  merits,  that  we  may  join  our  own  to  them 
by  making  them  fructify.  The  Eucharist  is 
the  ladder,  not  of  Jacob,  but  of  Jesus,  who  by 
it  continually  ascends  to  heaven  and  descends 
to  earth  for  our  sake.  Jesus  is  incessantly 
journeying  to  us. 


II 


Ut  behold  what  are  especially  the  heaven- 
ly  gifts  that  Jesus  brings  us  when  we 
receive  Him. 

First,  glory.  True,  the  glory  of  the  saints 
and  the  blessed  is  a flower  that  expands  only 
in  the  sun  of  Paradise  and  under  the  glance  of 
God.  But  this  brilliant  glory  we  cannot  have 
on  earth,  for  men  would  adore  us!  But  we 
receive  its  hidden  germ,  which  contains  it  whole 


THE  HEAVEN  OF  THE  EUCHARIST.  361 


and  entire,  as  the  seed  contains  the  ear  of 
wheat.  The  Eucharist  stores  away  in  us  the 
leaven  of  the  resurrection,  the  matter  for  special 
and  more  brilliant  glory.  Sown  in  the  cor- 
ruptible flesh,  it  will  shine  upon  our  body 
resuscitated  and  immortal. 

Secondly,  happiness.  Our  soul,  entering  into 
heaven,  will  see  itself  put  in  possession,  with- 
out fear  of  loss  or  diminution,  of  the  hap^ 
piness  of  God  Himself.  But  in  Communion, 
do  we  not  receive  something  of  this  true  hap- 
piness? It  is  not  given  to  us  entire  for  fear 
that,  if  it  were,  we  would  no  longer  think  of 
heaven ; but  with  what  sweet  peace,  with 
what  sweet  joy  are  we  not  inundated  after 
Communion ! The  more  the  soul  is  disengaged 
from  earthly  affections,  the  more  she  tastes 
this  happiness.  There  are  some  souls  so  happy 
after  Communion  that  even  their  body  par- 
ticipates in  it. 

Lastly,  the  blessed  share  in  the  power  of 
God.  He  who  communicates  with  a great  de- 
sire to  be  united  to  Jesus,  feels  only  sovereign 
contempt  for  all  that  is  not  worthy  of  his 
divinized  affections.  He  rises  above  all  that  is 
earthly,  and  that  is  true  power.  Then'  it  is  that 
Communion  makes  the  soul  mount  to  God. 


362 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Prayer  is  defined  an  ascension  of  the  soul  to 
God.  But  what  is  prayer  compared  to  Holy 
Communion  ? How  far  is  that  ascension  of 
thought  and  desire  from  that  sacramental 
ascension  to  which  Jesus  raises  us  with  Himself 
to  the  bosom  of  God! 

The  eagle,  to  accustom  its  young  to  fly  to 
the  highest  regions  of  the  air,  when  giving  to 
them  their  food,  holds  it  far  above  them;  and, 
rising  as  the  young  birds  near  it,  makes  them 
insensibly  ascend  higher  and  higher. 

And  so  does  Jesus,  the  Divine  Eagle,  act 
toward  us.  He  comes  to  us,  bringing  us  the 
nourishment  of  which  we  have  need,  and  then 
mounts,  inviting  us  to  follow  Him.  He  loads 
us  with  delights  that  we  may  long  for  the  joys 
of  heaven.  He  accustoms  us  to  the  thought 
of  heaven. 

When  you  possess  Jesus  in  your  heart,  do 
you  not  desire  Paradise  and  feel  contempt  for 
earth?  You  would  wish  to  die  then  and  there, 
the  sooner  to  be  united  to  God  forever.  He 
who  communicates  very  rarely,  has  no  lively 
desire  for  God,  and  he  fears  death.  This  fear 
is  not  in  itself  bad,  but  if  you  were  certain  of 
going  straight  to  heaven  — ah!  you  would  not 
want  to  remain  one  quarter  of  an  hour  longer 


THE  HEAVEN  OF  THE  EUCHARIST.  363 


on  earth ! In  one  quarter  of  an  hour  in  heaven, 
you  can  testify  more  love  to  God  and  glorify 
Him  more  than  during  the  longest  life. 

In  this  way,  then,  does  Communion  prepare 
us  for  heaven.  What  a great  grace  to  die  after 
having  received  Holy  Viaticum!  I know  that 
perfect  contrition  justifies  us  and  gives  us  a 
right  to  heaven;  but  how  much  better  to  go  in 
company  with  Jesus,  and  to  be  judged  by  His 
love,  still  united,  so  to  speak,  with  His  Sacra- 
ment of  Love!  It  is  for  this  reason  that  the 
Church  wishes  her  priests  to  administer  Holy 
Viaticum  even  at  the  last  moment  to  the  well 
disposed  penitent,  even  if  he  should  already 
have  lost  the  use  of  his  senses;  so  anxious  is 
this  good  Mother  that  her  children  should  not 
depart  till  well  provided  for  the  terrible  jour- 
ney ! 

Let  us  often  beg  the  grace  of  receiving  the 
Holy  Viaticum  before  dying.  It  will  be  the 
pledge  of  our  eternal  happiness.  Saint  Chrys- 
ostom assures  us  in  his  book  on  the  Priesthood 
that  the  angels  attend  the  departure  from  the 
body  of  those  souls  that  have  just  communicat- 
ed. On  account  of  that  Divine  Sacrament, 
they  surround  and  accompany  them  like  satel- 
lites up  to  the  throne  of  God. 


The  EUCHARISTIC  TRANSFIG-  ^ 

i 

URATION.  ^ 


transjiguratus  est  ante  I Jesus  was  transfigured  be- 
eos,  1 fore  them.  (Matt,  xvii,  2.) 

S the  Feast  of  the  Transfigu- 
ration of  Our  Lord  on  Thabor 
is  a beautiful  one,  let  us  say 
a word  on  its  relation  to 
Eucharistic  transubstantiation. 
All  the  mysteries  of  Our 
Lord’s  life  relate  to  the  Eucharist,  because  the 
Eucharist  completes  them  all.  All  tend  to  the 
Eucharist.  It  is  for  grace  to  discover  what 
there  is  in  those  mysteries  that  bear  some  re- 
lation to  the  Eucharist,  in  order  by  them  to 
nourish  devotion  toward  the  Most  Blessed  Sac- 
rament. 

Now,  Our  Lord,  taking  with  Him  three  dis- 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


365 


ciples,  went  up  on  a high  mountain  to  manifest 
His  glory,  hidden  under  the  humiliation  of 
the  flesh.  He  desired  to  strengthen  them 
against  the  scandal  of  His  Passion,  by  showing 
them  who  He  really  was. 

The  Eucharist,  also,  was  instituted  on  a 
mountain,  that  of  Sion,  much  more  celebrated 
than  Thabor.  Jesus  loved  mountains.  On 
them  He  performed  many  of  the  great  actions 
of  His  life.  Valleys  did  not  suit  Him.  They 
engender  miasma  and  sickness.  The  earth  is 
for  grovellers.  Jesus  draws  to  Himself,  also,  by 
elevating  them,  souls  whom  He  desires  to  love 
with  special  love.  The  second  transfiguration 
is  more  lovable  than  the  first,  and  much  more 
lasting.  It  was  made  in  presence  of  all  the 
Apostles.  The  first  took  place  in  the  open 
air,  because  glory  needs  to  expand.  But  the 
second,  which  is  all  love,  took  place  in  secret. 
Jesus  concealied  it  in  order  to  render  it  more 
powerful.  When  one  wishes  to  testify  affection 
for  a friend,  he  folds  him  in  his  arms.  The 
charity  of  zeal  extends  a'far  in  order  to  do  good 
to  a very  great  number  of  souls.  The  heart’s 
love  concentrates  itself.  We  gather  up'  its 
darts  as  in  a lens,  just  as  the  optician  grinds 
his  glass  SO'  as  to  concentrate  in  one  single 


366 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


point  all  the  rays  and  heat  of  the  light.  Our 
Lord  compresses  Himself  into  the  small  space 
of  the  Host,  in  order  to  make  a focus  of  more 
burning  love.  And  as  a great  conflagration 
may  be  enkindled  by  bringing  a lens  to  bear 
on  inflammable  materials,  so  the  Eucharist 
shoots  forth  Its  flames  upon  those  that  partici- 
pate in  It,  and  consumes  them  with  divine  fire. 

Jesus  was  transfigured  while  praying  on  Tha- 
bor.  His  raiment  became  white  as  snow,  His 
countenance  resplendent  as  the  sun.  The 
Apostles  could  not  support  its  brilliancy.  Jesus 
transfigured  Himself  in  glory  to  show  that  His 
feeble  body  was,  nevertheless,  the  body  of  a 
God.  That  transfiguration  was  made  from 
within.  Jesus  allowed  a ray  of  the  glory  that 
He  retained  by  a perpetual  miracle  to  appear 
without. 

But  Jesus  was  not  come  to  give  lessons  in 
glory;  therefore,  the  vision  of  Thabor  quickly 
passed.  It  lasted  but  an  instant. 

The  Sacramental  Transfiguration  is  made 
from  without.  On  Thabor,  Jesus  tore  away  the 
veil  that  hid  His  Divinity;  but  here  He  sup- 
presses even  His  Humanity,  transfigures  It  into 
an  appearance  of  bread,  so  that  He  appears  to 
be  neither  God  nor  Man,  and  there  is  no  longer 


THE  EUCHARISTIC  TRANSFIGURATION.  367 


question  of  anything  exterior.  He  buries  Him- 
self, and  the  Sacred  Species  become  the  tomb 
of  His  power.  His  Humanity  so  good,  so 
beautiful.  He  veils  under  humility.  He  seems 
to  become  the  subject  of  the  accidents,  so 
closely  is  He  united  to  them,  the  bread  and 
the  wine  having  been  changed  into  the  Body 
and  the  Blood  of  the  Son  of  God.  Do'  you 
see  Him  under  this  Transfiguration  of  love  and 
humility  ? Although  hidden  under  a cloud,  we 
know  that  the  sun  is  still  there.  Jesus  is  always 
God  and  perfect  man,  though  veiled  behind  the 
cloud  of  bread  and  wine.  As  all  was  glorious 
in  the  first  Transfiguration,  all  is  lovable  in 
the  second.  We  no  longer  see  Him,  we  no 
longer  touch  Him,  but  He  is  there  with  all  His 
gifts.  Love,  grace,  and  faith  pierce  the  veils  and 
recognize  His  features.  The  soul  sees  by  faith. 
Belief  is  real  sight. 

We  would,  indeed,  like  to  see  Jesus  in  the 
Sacrament  with  the  eyes  of  the  body.  But  if 
the  Apostles  could  not  support  a single  ray  of 
His  glory,  what  would  it  be  today?  Love 
knows  how  to  transfigure  itself  only  by  good- 
ness, by  humbling  itself,  by  becoming  little,  by 
annihilating  itself.  Where  was  there  more  love, 
on  Calvary  or  on  Thabor  ? Weigh  it  well,  and 


368 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


tell  me  whether  it  was  Calvary  or  Thabor  that 
converted  the  world.  Lx)ve  shuns  glory.  It 
hides  itself,  it  lowers  itself.  Thus  did  the 
Word  do  in  becoming  incarnate,  thus  did  He 
do  on  Calvary,  and  thus  does  He  do  still  more 
profoundly  in  the  Eucharist.  Instead  of  com- 
plaining, we  should  thank  Our  Lord  that  He 
does  not  renew  His  Thabor.  The  Apostles 
lay  trembling  on  the  ground,  and  the  words 
that  came  from  the  mouth  of  God  were  capable 
of  consuming  them.  The  Apostles  scarcely 
dared  speak  to  Our  Lord!  But  here  we  speak 
to  Him  without  fear,  because  we  can  press  our 
heart  to  His,  and  feel  His  love! 

Glory  sometimes  turns  one’s  head.  Remem- 
ber how  St.  Peter  talked  at  random.  He  had 
lost  his  mind.  He  talked  of  rest,  of  happiness, 
while  Our  Lord  spoke  only  of  His  sufferings 
and  death.  Peter  thought  very  little  of  his  duty. 

If  Our  Lord  showed  you  His  glory,  you 
would  never  again  leave  Him.  It  would  be 
so  good  to  be  here!  The  Heavenly  Father 
had  to  give  St.  Peter  a lesson,  reminding 
him  that  Our  Lord  was  His  Son,  and  that  he 
should  follow  Him  everywhere,  even  to  death. 
Remember  that  an  education,  acquired  in  the 
midst  of  pleasures,  is  neither  serious  nor  solid; 


THE  EUCHARISTIC  TRANSFIGURATION.  369 


and  that  the  child,  surrounded  with  too  much 
tenderness,  is  never  large-hearted.  It  is  for  this 
reason  that  the  Eucharistic  Transfiguration  is 
made,  not  in  joy  nor  in  glory,  but  in  secret 
and  humiliation.  Glory  is  Its  future  conse- 
quence. 

We  do  not  see  Moses  and  Elias  at  this  . 
second  Transfiguration.  They  have  nothing 
to  do  here.  The  Eucharist  is  not  for  them. 
But  the  twelve  Apostles,  who  are  to  be  the 
legislators  and  the  prophets  of  the  new  people 
of  God,  take  part  in  it.  The  Holy  Trinity 
is  there  and  operating,  but  invisibly.  Legions 
of  angels  adore  the  Word  of  God  reduced 
to  a state  so  near  to  nothingness.  We,  we 
were  all  there. 

Jesus  consecrated  our  Hosts  in  intention  and 
foreknowledge.  He  counted  them  all,  and  it 
is  by  His  -orders  they  are  given  to  us. 

Now,  see  how  the  prayer  of  a simple  and 
upright  heart  is  always  heard,  although  not 
always  in  the  manner  that  we  have  imag- 
ined. Peter  had  asked  to  remain  on  the  moun- 
tain. Had  Jesus  refused  him?  No,  He  had 
only  postponed  the  grace  that  He  was  im- 
ploring. It  is  in  the  Eucharist  that  Jesus 
Christ  has  established  His  Tabernacle  among 


370 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


US  forever,  and  that  He  has  permitted  us  to 
dwell  with  Him  on  His  Eucharistic  Thabor. 
Oh,  that  is  not  a tent  to  be  taken  up  and 
transported  from  day  to  day!  It  is  a house 
that  He  has  built,  and  in  it  we  dwell  night 
and  day.  We  possess  much  more  than 
St.  Peter  asked.  As  for  you,  my  brethren, 
you  behold  Him  only  in  passing,  but  it  is  every 
day.  And  if  you  have  taken  up  your  abode 
near  a church  of  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament, 
you  feel  also  the  sweet  influence  of  His  vi- 
cinity. 

Domine,  bonum  est  nos  hie  esse ! — Oh, 
yes.  Lord;,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here!  — You 
know  when  you  have  some  trouble,  some  sor- 
row, how  to  run  to  Him,  for  He  is  always  the 
good  Samaritan.  He  pours  out  His  Heart  over 
yours.  He  awaits  you.  He  does  not  treat  you 
as  strangers,  but  as  friends,  as  the  children  of 
His  family. 

Has  not  the  Heavenly  Father  said:  « Be- 
hold My  well-beloved  Son  »?  And  by  incom- 
prehensible love.  He  has  given  Him  to  us.  He 
has  given  Him  to  us  at  Bethlehem,  on  Calvary, 
and  above  all  and  forever,  in  the  Cenacle. 
At  the  same  time,  Jesus,  also,  gives  Himself. 
The  Father  engenders  Him  daily  and  gives 


THE  EUCHARISTIC  TRANSFIGURATION.  37 1 

Him  to  every  one  of  us.  Oh  I think  on  this! 

Let  us,  then,  love  this  feast  of  the  Transfig- 
uration. It  is  wholly  Eucharistic.  Come  to  this 
blessed  mountain  on  which  Jesus  is  transfig- 
ured. Do  not  seek  there  sensible  happiness 
or  glory,  but  the  lessons  of  holiness  He  gives 
you  by  His  annihilation.  Come,  and  by  your 
love,  your  self-abnegation,  transfigure  your- 
selves into  our  Sacramental  Jesus  while  waiting 
to  be  transfigured  into  Jesus  Christ  glorious 
in  heaven. 


2^?^  2^L  iWtt  2? 


SAINT  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST. 


Ilhim  oportet  crescere,  me  I He  must  increase,  but  I 
aute7n  uiimii.  1 must  decrease.  (John,  111,30. 


E ought  to  honor  St.  John  as  a 
perfect  model  of  adorers.  His 
beautiful  saying  is  the  device 
of  Eucharistic  service  and  de- 
votedness : The  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament  must  increase,  be 
known  and  loved,  while  we  must  annihilate  our- 
selves before  It.  Let  us  see  how  St.  John 
in  the  principal  actions  of  his  life  is  the  model 
of  adorers.  His  life  seems  to  have  been  one 
continual  adoration.  We  find  in  it  the  charac- 
ter of  adoration  by  the  four  ends  of  the  Sacri- 
fice, which  is  the  best  of  all  ways  of  adoring. 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


373 


I ^ ADORATION. 


HDoration  is  performed  prostrate,  the 
face  on  the  ground.  It  is  our  first 
impulse,  which  makes  us  acknowledge  the  in- 
finite majesty  of  God,  hidden  under  the  veil 
of  the  Eucharist.  To  this  first  movement  suc- 
ceeds the  exaltation  of  His  greatness  and  His 
love. 

Now,  the  first  grace  of  St.  John  is  one  of 
devotion.  The  Word  is  in  Mary’s  womb.  He 
inspires  His  Mother  to  visit  Elizabeth.  Mary 
bears  to  John  his  Master  and  his  King.  John 
cannot  go  to  Jesus,  for  his  mother  is  too  aged 
to  undertake  the  journey.  Jesus  Christ,  there- 
fore, goes  to  him.  Thus  does  He  do  to  us. 
We  cannot  go  to  God,  but  God  comes  to  us. 

When  saluting  Elizabeth,  Mary  unbinds  the 
power  of  her  Divine  Son.  Jesus  even  in  our 
day  is  still  bound,  and  He  can  do  nothing 
without  Mary.  The  voice  of  Mary  was  that  of 
the  Word  Incarnate.  John  leaped  in  his  moth- 
er’s womb  at  the  sound  of  that  voice,  thus 
revealing  to  his  mother  the  mystery  of  the 
presence  of  God  in  Mary.  It  was  John  who 
made  her  comprehend  this  mystery,  as  Eliza- 
beth declared  to  Mary:  « Exultavit  infans  in 


374 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


utero  meo  — The  infant  in  my  womb  leaped 
for  joy.  » From  that  moment  John  is  the 
precursor.  He  sees  his  God;  he  adores  Him 
by  his  thrills  of  joy.  He  adores  Him,  and 
the  delight  of  finding  himself  in  His  presence 
reacts  upon  his  mother. 

How  good  Our  Lord  was  to  John!  He 
desired  to  bless  him,  to  make  Himself  known 
to  him  from  the  womb  of  his  mother.  What 
joy  this  adoration  of  His  precursor  must  have 
given  Him!  It  was  so  spontaneous! 

Jesus  remained  ^vith  him  three  months.  Both 
were  veiled  in  the  maternal  tabernacle.  John 
constantly  adored  his  God.  He  was  conscious 
of  His  presence  behind  the  veil.  Unite  with 
this  devout  adoration  of  St.  John,  so  lively, 
so  sensible,  despite  the  veils,  the  barriers  which 
separated  him  from  Our  Lord:  Senseras  Regem 
tkalamo  manentem, 

H — THANKSGIVING. 

HI  Hanksgiving  springs  from  the  goodness, 

! the  love  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  sees  but  His 
gifts.  His  benefits.  It  humbles  itself,  in  order 
to  exalt  the  benefactor.  It  rejoices  for  itself 
and  also  for  the  benefits  and  graces  granted  to 


SAINT  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST. 


375 


others  and  to  the  entire  Church.  Such  a sen- 
timent expands  the  heart. 

It  is  at  the  Jordan  that  John  especially  mani- 
fests this  double*  sentiment  of  joy  and  gratitude. 
Behold,  first,  the  favor  shown  him  by  Our 
Lord,  for  thanksgiving  always  arises  from  some 
benefit  received,  and  it  rests  upon  humility. 
Now,  John  is  about  to  baptize  Our  Lord.  He 
had  never  yet  seen  Him.  The  Heavenly  Fa- 
ther had  given  him  a sign  by  which  he  should 
recognize  Him.  Among  the  multitude  of  sin- 
ners who  are  waiting  for  John’s  baptism,  who 
are  listening  to  his  stern  exhortations  to  pen- 
ance, Jesus  presents  Himself.  In  the  line 
of  publicans  and  soldiers,  He  awaits  His  turn 
— He,  a King  I — He,  the  Son  of  Godl  No 
privileges,  no  exceptions  I Hearken  to  that, 
O ye  Adorers,  and  have  no  protectors  but  Our 
Lord  I — St.  John  casts  himself  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus  Christ.  « But  what!  Thou  comest  to 
me?  It  is  I who  ought  to  be  baptized  by 
Thee!  — Ego  debeo  a te  haptizari,  et  tu  venis 
ad  me?  y>  — Behold  humility,  truth!  The 
saints  never  think  themselves  perfect.  And 
John  by  this  word  speaks  not  of  his  ministry: 
« Venis  ad  me  — Thou  comest  to  me;  » not 
« Thou  comest  to  my  baptism.  » What  deli- 

The  Divine  Eucharist.  25 


376 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


cacyl  To  mention  his  ministry,  would  have 
erected  for  him  a little  throne.  Before  Our 
Lord,  he  is  nothing  1 

And  Jesus  Christ  said  to  him  : « Obey  I Fulfil 
the  command  of  My  Father.  » Behold  a man 
truly  humble  I John  obeyed  and  baptized  Him. 
One  less  humble  would  have  found  fifty  rea- 
sons to  allege  against  the  command,  but  John 
obeys.  And  when  Our  Lord  retired,  he  did 
not  follow  Him.  He  remained  at  his  post  of 
obedience.  What  humility! 

And  now  let  us  see  how  he  turned  over  to 
Our  Lord  all  the  glory  and  honor  of  the  sub- 
lime function  that  he  exercised.  His  disciples, 
the  worst  of  flatterers,  who  wished  to  glorify, 
themselves  with  the  glory  of  their  master,  told 
him  that  every  one  was  following  Jesus.  « O 

how  much  pleasure  you  give  me!  » replied 

0 

John.  « The  friend  of  the  bridegroom  remains 
at  his  side,  stands  before  him,  but  the  bride  is 
but  for  the  bridegroom.  Souls  are  but  for 
Jesus  Christ.  » The  soul  is  but  to  serve  the 
Spouse.  John  rejoiced  that  the  Divine  Spouse 
found  so  many  spouses:  « My  joy  is  full  on 
seeing  Him  increase.  He  must  increase,  and 
I must  decrease!  » 

Nothing  for  himself,  all  for  Jesus!  And  this 


SAINT  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST. 


377 


is  that  at  which  we  ought  to  aim : to  make  Our 
Lord  known.  What  a loss  not  to  be  able  to 
erect  a throne  for  Him  in  all  hearts ! As  much 
as  we  debase  ourselves,  as  much  as  we  decrease, 
so  much  do  we  elevate  Our  Lord  upon  His 
throne.  « Oportet  ilium  crescere.  » That 
counts  much  in  practice.  Today  we  are  noth- 
ing, but  one  day  it  may  happen  that  among 
the  Adorers  we  shall  have  distinguished  men. 
O then  it  is  that  we  must  say:  « Take  care! 
Be  not  lifted  up,  pride  not  yourself  on  your 
talents!  Hide  yourself  that  the  Master  alone 
may  appear!  » Our  vocation  is  so  beautiful, 
its  end  so  elevated.  We  must  grow  in  all 
the  virtues,  because  we  ought  to  have  them  to 
be  worthy  of  our  vocation.  But  woe  to  him 
who  would  seek  to  stand  before  Our  Lord! — 
No!  Down  on  your  knees!  Down  on  the 
earth!  — « Oportet  ilium  crescere,  me  autem 
minui.  » 

Oh,  the  beautiful  thanksgiving  of  a soul  that 
accepts  the  gifts  of  God,  while  recognizing  that 
she  is  nothing,  and  giving  all  the  glory  to  God! 


378 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Ill  — PROPITIATION,  OR  REPARATION. 

P^^Ropitiation,  or  reparation,  consists  in 
indemnifying  Our  Lord,  in  consoling 
Him.  This  forms  a large  part  of  our  mission 
as  Adorers.  We  must  be  repairers,  mediators, 
penitents  for  the  sins  of  men.  The  world  is 
so  full  of  evil  that  there  is  almost  more  to 
repair  than  to  thank  for! 

Now,  John  assumes  the  office  of  repairer 
when  he  says:  « Ecce  Agnus  Dei,  ecce  qui 
tollit  peccata  mundi!  — Behold  the  Lamb  of 
God!  Behold  Him  who  taketh  away  the  sins 
of  the  world!  » — He  preaches,  he  points 
out  the  Victim  Beparator ! Then  he  weeps,  he 
groans  over  the  indifference  of  men  toward 
the  Saviour.  Listen  to  his  lamentations : « Me- 
dius  vestrum  stetit  quern  vos  nescitis  — There 
hath  stood  one  in  the  midst  of  you  whom  you 
know  not.  » He  groaned  at  seeing  the  great, 
the  learned,  refusing  to  follow  Jesus  Christ,  who 
was  surrounded  by  the  poor  only.  He  makes 
to  Him  public  reparation,  he  adores  Him  as 
a victim.  He  exalts  Him  in  the  place  of  them 
that  despise  Him : « The  latchet  of  His  shoe 
I am  not  worthy  to  loose!  » — How  he  scorns 
their  contempt! 


SAINT  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST. 


379 


IV  --  SUPPLICATION,  OR  PETITION. 

HOhn  had  been  imprisoned  for  his  cour- 
age in  reprehending  a guilty  king.  No 
one  dares  to  tell  a king  the  truth.  All  are 
afraid.  Oh,  sad  condition,  to  live  by  th^  side 
of  kings!  John’s  disciples  came  to  see  him. 
They  did  not  yet  believe  in  Jesus  Christ.  John 
does  all  he  can  to  obtain  their  conversion. 
Behold  the  true  apostolate!  — to  lead  souls  to 
Jesus  Christ,  to  attach  them  to  Him  alone,  with- 
out any  thought  of  self.  John  then  begs 
Our  Lord  to  receive  them.  He  sends  them  to 
Him,  that  the  sight  of  His  kindness  and  power 
may  convert  them.  Jesus  Christ  exhibits  before 
them  the  greatest  prodigies,  yet  they  do  not 
adore  him!  Oh,  how  stupid  does  the  human 
heart  become  when  tainted  by  prejudice!  Jeal- 
ousy whispered  that,  if  Jesus  increased,  John 
would  no  longer  be  of  any  account.  His  dis- 
ciples were  not  willing  to  disappear  with  him. 
With  him  they  can  pride  themselves  on  belong- 
ing to  a certain  set,  a certain  society.  They 
live  in  the  reputation  of  their  master. 

Their  visit  to  the  Saviour,  however,  plants  in 
their  hearts  the  grace  of  faith  and,  after  John’s 
death,  they  all  gather  round  Our  Lord.  Their 


380 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


conversion  was  due  to  the  prayers  of  St.  John. 

Behold  a good  Adorer!  Love  St.  John  ten- 
derly who  was  so  loved  by  Our  Lord.  Jesus 
wept  over  his  death.  John  was  His  cousin, 
His  friend,  His  first  apostle.  Adore,  repair  as 
he  did.  Learn  like  him  how  to  sacrifice  your- 
self for  the  glory  of  Our  Lord.  John  died  a 
martyr  to  the  crimes  of  a king.  Kings  excite 
most  terribly  the  wrath  of  God.  Frequently 
recall  this  saying,  which  is  the  device  of  sanc- 
tity and  of  the  Eucharistic  service:  « Ilium 
oportet  crescerej  me  autem  minui  — May  Jesus 
Eucharistic  be  exalted,  and  may  I be  annihil- 
ated! » 


\ 


ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN. 


Jesus  diligebat  Mariam.  I Jesus  loved  Mary  Magda 
! len.  (John  xi,  5.) 

T.  Mary  Magdalen  was  the  priv- 
ileged friend  of  Jesus.  She 
served  Him  with  her  wealth, 
she  accompanied  Him  every- 
where. She  honored  His  Hu- 
manity magnificently  by  her 
presents.  She  loved  to  pray  at  His  feet  in 
the  silence  of  contemplation.  By  all  these 
titles,  shief  is  the  patroness  and  the  model  of  the 
life  of  adoration,  and  of  the  service  of  Jesus 
in  the  Sacrament  of  His  love.  Let  us  study 
St.  Mary  Magdalen.  Her  life  is  full  of  the 
best  lessons. 

I 

Esus  loved  Martha,  Mary  her  sister,  and 
Lazarus,  but  Mary  more  than  all.  No 
doubt  He  loved  all  three,  but  He  had  special 
predilection  for  Magdalen. 


382 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Although  Our  Lord  loves  us  all,  nevertheless 
He  has  His  friends  of  preference,  and  He  per- 
mits us,  also,  to  have  our  special  friends  in 
God.  Nature,  yes,  even  grace,  has  need  of 
them.  All  the  saints  have  had  their  intimate 
friends,  and  they  themselves  were  the  most 
tender,  the  most  devoted  in  their  friendships. 

Magdalen  was,  before  her  conversion,  a pub- 
lic sinner.  She  possessed  all  the  qualities  of 
mind  and  body,  all  the  gifts  of  fortune  that 
could  lead  to  the  greatest  excesses.  And  she 
allowed  herself  to  be  so  led.  The  Gospel  de- 
grades her  even  to  calling  her  a public  sinner. 
This  woman  had  fallen  so  low  that  Simon  the 
Pharisee  regarded  it  as  a dishonor  that  she 
should  enter  his  house.  And  because  Jesus 
suffered  her  at  His  feet,  he  even  doubted  His 
prophetic  light. 

But  this  poor  sinner  is  going  to  rise  in  His 
pardon,  even  to  the  rank  of  the  highest  saints. 
Let  us  see  how  this  will  be. 

II 

^Hat  chiefly  holds  great  sinners  and  hin- 

I ders  their  conversion,  is  human  respect. 

I shall  not  be  able  to  persevere  in  good,  they 


ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN. 


383 


say.  I dare  not  undertake  what  I cannot  con- 
tinue. And  they  pause  discouraged. 

But  Magdalen  hears  that  Jesus  is  in  the 
house  of  Simon.  She  hesitates  not.  She  goes 
straight  to  Jesus  and  makes  a public  con- 
fession. She  even  dares  to  enter  a house  from 
which,  had  she  been  recognized  at  the  entrance, 
she  would  have  been  expelled  in  shame.  She 
utters  no  word  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  but  her 
love  speaks  in  a loud  voice.  Painters  represent 
her  with  disheveled  hair,  her  dress  disordered. 
That  is  pure  imagination.  Such  an  appearance 
would  have  been  worthy  neither  of  Jesus  nor  of 
her  repentance. 

She  makes  no  mistake  as  to  His  identity,  but 
goes  straight  to  Jesus.  How  does  she  know 
Him  ? Ah ! the  sick  heart  knows  very  well  how 
to  find  Him  who  will  console  and  cure. 

Mary  dares  not  look  at  Jesus.  She  sees 
nothing.  That  is  the  characteristic  of  true 
repentance.  Behold  the  Prodigal  Son  and  the 
Publican.  The  sinner  that  looks  into  the  face 
of  God  whom  he  has  offended,  insults  Him. 
But  Mary  weeps  and  dries  with  her  hair  the 
feet  of  Jesus,  which  she  has  watered  with  her 
tears.  Behold  her  place,  at  the  feet  of  Jesus. 
The  feet  tread  the  earth,  and  she  knows  that 


3^4 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


she  is  only  the  dust  of  a dead  body.  Of  her 
hair,  that  vanity  the  world  adores,  she  makes 
a cloth,  and  there  she  remains  prostrate  await- 
ing her  sentence.  She  hears  the  remarks  of 
the  envious,  the  Apostles  as  well  as  the  Jews, 
who  honor  only  virtue  crowned  and  triumphant. 
They  do  not  care  for  Magdalen,  who  gives  to 
them  and  to  all  this  lesson.  They  have  all 
sinned,  but  no  one  has  the  courage  publicly  to 
ask  pardon.  Simon  even,  full  of  hypocrisy  and 
pride,  — Simon  is  indignant!  But  Jesus  aveng- 
es Magdalen.  What  a word  of  reinstation: 
« Much  has  been  forgiven  her,  because  she  has 
loved  much!  » « Go  in  peace,  » says  the  Sav- 
iour to  her,  « thy  faith  has  saved  thee.  » 
He  does  not  add:  « Sin  no  more.  » — Jesus 
said  that  to  the  adulteress,  more  humbled  at 
having  been  surprised  in  crime  than  repentant 
for  having  offended  God.  Magdalen  had  no 
need  of  that  recommendation.  Her  love  is  to 
Jesus  the  certitude  of  her  firm  resolve.  What 
a beautiful  and  touching  absolution!  Magda- 
len has,  indeed,  very  perfect  contrition.  — 
When  you  go  to  confession,  unite  with  Mag- 
dalen and  let  your  contrition,  like  hers,  spring 
more  from  love  than  from  fear. 

Magdalen  withdraws  with  the  baptism  of  love. 


ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN. 


385 


She  became  more  perfect  than  the  Apostles  by 
her  humility.  Ah ! after  this  example,  de- 
spise sinners  if  you  dare!  One  instant  suffices 
to  make  of  them  great  saints.  Among  the 
greatest  of  them,  how  many  has  not  Jesus 
Christ  sought  in  the  mire  of  sin,  for  instance, 
Paul,  Augustine,  and  others!  Magdalen  open- 
ed to  them  the  way.  She  rose  to  the  Heart 
of  God,  because  she  started  from  very  low 
down,  and  knew  how  to  humble  herself.  Who, 
then,  should  despair? 


Ill 

Fter  her  conversion,  Magdalen  entered 
into  active  love.  Here  is  a great  lesson. 
Many  after  conversion  remain  where  they  were 
before.  They  desire  to  live  in  the  peace  of 
a good  conscience,  practising  the  Command- 
ments. They  dare  not  follow  Jesus;  they  end 
by  falling  back.  Man  does  not  live  on  tears 
and  regrets.  You  have  shattered  the  objects 
to  which  your  heart  was  so  attached;  you  must 
now  replace  them,  and  live  the  life  of  God. 
Do  you  remain  at  the  feet  of  Jesus?  — He 
rises.  Follow  Him  and  walk  with  Him.  Mag- 
dalen is  going  to  follow  Jesus.  Never  again  will 


386 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


she  be  separated  from  Him.  You  will  find 
her  at  His  feet,  listening  to  His  words,  and  med- 
itating them  in  her  heart.  It  is  the  grace  of 
her  life.  She  has  no  other  word  than  prayer, 
prayer  and  love.  She  follows  Jesus,  and  prac- 
tises the  virtues  of  His  different  states.  The 
conversion  that  rests  in  sentiment  is  not  last- 
ing. Mary  shares  the  different  states  of  Jesus. 

On  His  journeys,  she  supplies  what  is  neces- 
sary for  His  own  and  His  Apostles’  subsistence. 
Jesus  will  often  go  to  the  home  of  His  friends 
in  Bethama  and  take  His  meals  with  them;  in 
exchange  He  will  give  them  a nourishment  of 
grace  and  love.  Every  time  that  He  does  so, 
Mary  takes  her  place  at  His  feet  and  remains 
there  in  prayer.  Martha  will  be  jealous  of  her. 
Thus  do  they  act  who  think  that  there  is  only 
one  good  state,  one  good  way  of  living.  All 
are  good.  That  which  you  have  is  good. 
Keep  it,  but  do  not  despise  the  others.  Martha 
did  well  in  laboring  for  Jesus,  but  she  did 
wrong  in  being  jealous  of  her  sister.  You 
know  how  Jesus  replied  and  defended  Mag- 
dalen. It  is  better  to  listen  to  His  voice  than 
to  give  Him  nourishment.  That  still  happens 
among  active  vocations.  They  complain  of 
contemplative  souls.  « You  are  useless!  Come, 


ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN. 


3^7 


then,  and  labor  through  charity  at  the  salvation 
of  your  brethren ! » — But  Jesus  has  here  de- 
fended them.  Is  it  not  necessary,  also,  to  show 
charity  to  Jesus  Christ,  poor  and  abandoned  in 
His  Sacrament? 

Magdalen  hears  the  dialogue,  the  complaints 
of  ^her  sister.  She  makes  no  response.  She 
is  well-off  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  there  she 
stays. 

Another  characteristic  of  Magdalen’s  active 
love  is  suffering.  She  suffers  with  Jesus  Christ. 
No  doubt,  she  knew  in  advance  of  the  death  of 
her  Master.  Friendship  has  no  secrets.  If 
Jesus  revealed  it  to  His  Apostles,  who  were 
so  coarse,  how  could  He  conceal  it  from  Mag- 
dalen ? 

Behold  Magdalen  in  her  suffering  love!  She 
goes  where  men  dare  not  go.  She  mounts 
even  to  Calvary,  abandons  her  loved  family, 
follows  Jesus  Christ  suffering  even  to  the  end. 
We  see  her  with  Mary  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross. 
The  Gospel  names  her,  and  well  does  she  de- 
serve it.  What  is  she  doing  there?  She  is 
loving,  she  is  compassionating.  He  who  loves, 
desires  to  share  the  condition  of  his  friend. 
Love  fuses  two  lives,  two  existences,  into  one. 
Magdalen  is  not  standing.  She  remeinbers 


388 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


that  she  has  been  a sinner,  and  that  her  place 
is  on  her  knees.  Mary  alone  is  standing,  im- 
molating her  dear  Son,  her  Isaac. 

Magdalen  remains  there  until  after  the  death 
of  Jesus.  On  the  morning  of  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  she  returns.  She  knows  very  well 
that  Jesus  is  buried;  but  she  still  wishes  to 
suffer  and  weep.  The  Gospel  lauds  the  zeal, 
the  magnificence  of  the  gifts  of  the  other  wom- 
en; but  of  Magdalen,  it  speaks  only  of  her 
tears.  Behold  the  Christian  heroine  I More 
than  all  the  saints,  Magdalen  shows  forth  to 
us  the  divine  mercy. 


IV 

He  Sacred  Book  tells  us  nothing  more 
of  Magdalen  after  the  Ascension.  A 
constant  and  venerable  tradition  shows  us  the 
Jews  putting  Mary,  Martha,  and  Lazarus  on  a 
disabled  vessel,  and  launching  it  on  the  high 
seas,  that  they  might  meet  certain  death.  But 
the  Friend  of  the  past  always  loves  them.  Jesus 
constitutes  Himself  their  pilot  and  their  rudder. 
He  leads  them  to  Marseilles,  and  gives  them 
to  France,  the  beloved  Eldest  Daughter  of  His 
family. 


ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN. 


389 


Lazarus  died  a martyr.  His  blood  had  to 
water  the  beautiful  land  of  Provence  that  the 
Faith  might  flourish  there.  Martha  went  up 
as  far  as  Tarascon  where,  gathering  a com- 
munity of  virgins,  she  exercised  corporal  and 
spiritual  charity  throughout  the  surrounding 
country. 

Magdalen  retired  to  a mountain,  as  if  to 
draw  nearer  to  God.  There  she  found  a grotto, 
prepared,  no  doubt,  by  the  hands  of  angels. 

But  she  reoeived  in  it  too  many  visitors;  and 
time  failing  her  to  converse  with  her  good  Mas- 
ter, she  ascended  higher  to  a steep  peak,  and 
there  entertained  herself  with  God  alone.  There 
it  was  that  she  prayed,  continuing  in  her  life 
the  mysteries  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  there  it  was 
that  her  life  ended.  And  Jesus  failed  not  to 
visit  her.  Christian  priests  took  Him  to  her  in 
Holy  Communion.  When  she  was  at  the  point 
of  death,  Maximin,  one  of  the  seventy-two 
disciples  of  the  Lord  during  His  life,  communi- 
cated her  with  his  own  hand.  She  had  assisted 
at  the  death  of  Jesus,  and  that  good  Saviour 
rendered  her  the  same  service  and  the  same 
honor. 

She  died  in  France,  and  the  French  are 
proud  of  it.  They  possess  her  holy  relics. 


390 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


That  is  one  of  the  strongest  proofs  of  the  love 
that  Jesus  Christ  bears  to  France.  He  sent 
thither  His  own  friends,  and  they  are  still  there. 
Let  us  hope  that  France  will  find,  in  the 
prayers  and  the  merits  of  Magdalen,  a title  to 
the  mercy  of  God,  provided  that  she  imitates 
Magdalen’s  repentance  and  her  love  for  Jesus 
Christ,  who  lives  in  her,  who  dwells  in  her  cities 
and  her  most  obscure  villages.  Yes,  Jesus 
Christ  loves  France  as  He  loved  Magdalen  and 
the  family  at  Bethania,  with  a love  of  predi- 
lection ! 


JUNE,  the  MONTH  of  the  BLESSED 


SACRAMENT. 


Mensis  iste,  vobis  princi-  I This  month  shall  be  to  you 
pUmi  mensium.  the  beginning?  of  months. 

I (ExOD.  XII,  2.) 

Any  pious  souls  consecrate  the 
month  of  June  to  the  honor  of 
the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus, 
and  for  that  reason  call  it  the 
« Month  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  » 
But  we  prefer  to  consecrate  it 
to  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament,  for  we  are  of 
opinion  that  the  title  « Month  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  » belongs  to  it  by  a stronger  claim 
than  does  the)  first. 

The  feast  of  the  Sacred  Heart  and  that  of 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  generally  fall  in  this 
month,  but  the  latter  is  the  more  solemn  in  the 


The  Divine  Eucharist. 


26 


392 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


Church,  and  it  should  be  more  dear  to  us. 

To  honor  the  Sacred  Heart  as  the  seat  of 
the  infinite  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  well.  But 
Eucharistic  souls  know  how  to  honor  It  in  the 
Most  Blessed  Sacrament,  for  where  is  the  Heart 
of  Jesus  truly  and  substantially  living  except 
in  the  Eucharist  and  in  heaven? 

Many  honor  It  in  statues  and  pictures.  The 
devotion  is  good,  but  it  is  only  relative.  We 
should  go  further  than  the  representation,  and 
find  the  reality.  Now,  in  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment, Jesus  is  living.  His  Heart  is  beating 
for  us.  Let  us,  then,  place  our  life,  our  centre 
in  that  living  and  beating  Heart.  Let  us  honor 
the  Sacred  Heart  in  the  Eucharist.  Let  us 
never  separate  the  Sacred  Heart  from  the  Eu- 
charist. 

I 

Here  are  in  the  year  several  months  con- 
secrated to  special  devotions,  which  are 
continued  for  thirty  days;  for  instance,  the 
Month  of  Mary,  which  is  no  other  than  a feast 
of  thirty  days  in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
During  that  time  we  honor  all  her  virtues,  all 
the  mysteries  of  her  life,  and  we  always  obtain 
some  new  grace  by  doing  so.  Again,  we  have 


THE  MONTH  OF  THE  BL.  SACRAMENT.  393 


the  Month  of  St.  Joseph.  Soon  every  promi- 
nent devotion  will  have  a month  for  its  own 
special  exercises.  So*  much  the  better!  It 
would  be  an  excellent  thing,  a very  great 
impetus  to  Catholic  piety. 

Devotion  prolonged  during  an  entire  month 
embraces  its  whole  subject,  considers  it  under 
every  aspect,  and  gives  a deep  and  serious  in- 
sight into  it.  By  the  daily  meditations,  by  a 
certain  unity  of  action  in  the  practice  of  virtue 
during  those  days,  by  prayers  adapted  to  the 
subject  in  hand,  we  end  by  obtaining  a true 
and  solid  devotion  to  the  mystery  honored  dur- 
ing the  month.  That  upon  which  but  one 
thought  is  concentrated,  becomes  strong  and 
fully  rounded  out. 

Our  devotion  needs  to  be  firm  and  compact 
and  to  tend  to  but  one  aim.  Why  is  it  that  so 
many  pious  souls  never  reach  remarkable  ho- 
liness? It  is  because  they  are  so  divided  in 
their  devotions.  Their  spirit  of  piety  does  not 
find  sufficient  nourishment  to  support  it  or 
carry  it  on  to  great  heights.  They  do  not 
know  how  to  weld  their  devotions  into  a com- 
pact whole. 

We  all  know  what  fruits  missions  produce  in 
parishes  hitherto  deaf  to  the  earnest  exhorta- 


394 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


tions,  the  heroic  example,  of  their  pastors. 
The  reasoni  is  that  the  missions  are  an  uninter- 
rupted series  of  multiplied  exercises.  They 
embrace  all  the  means  that  can  touch  hearts, 
strike  the  imagination,  and  cx)mpel  serious 
reflection.  A mission  is  a torrent  formed  by 
the  united  currents  of  all  the  means  of  salva- 
tion. Is  it  astonishing  that  it  vanquishes  the 
most  obdurate  hearts? 

When  our  thoughts,  our  devotions,  are  united 
and  concentrated  upon  one  object,  they  over- 
come all  obstacles  and  lead  to  the  highest  vir- 
tue. Let  us,  then,  cultivate  this  concentrated 
and  continued  devotion.  We  are  told  that  in 
order  to  correct  a bad  habit,  root  out  a vice, 
it  is  necessary  to  begin  by  watching  over  one’s 
self,  by  struggling  for  a time,  before  feeling 
ourselves  drawn  to  the  opposite  virtue.  Once, 
however,  that  attraction  is  felt,  the  soul  runs 
on  with  giant  steps. 

It  is  the  same  with  the  subject  of  which  we 
are  now  speaking.  A certain  time  must  elapse 
before  loving  with  a strong  and  enlightened 
love  the  devotion  to  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment, which  is  the  mother  and  queen  of  all 
other  devotions,  the  sun  of  piety.  Devotion  to 
Mary  is  good,  is  excellent;  but  it  ought  to 


THE  MONTH  OF  THE  BL.  SACRAMENT.  395 


lead  to  devotion  to  the  Eucharist  as  Mary  her- 
self aimed  entirely  at  Jesus  Christ.  The  Scrip- 
ture compares  her  to  the  moon,  which  receives 
all  its  light  from  the  sun,  and  returns  it  again 
to  him. 

Now,  since  the  Month  of  Mary  makes  so 
many  conversions,  produces  so  much  good  in 
souls,  obtains  so  many  graces  of  all  kinds,  what 
will  not  the  Month  of  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment do,  since  it  is  the  virtues,  the  sacrifices, 
Jesus  Christ  Himself  in  Person  that  we  honor? 
And  if  we  know  how  to  unite  our  reading, 
our  aspirations,  our  practice  of  the  virtues  to 
the  action  of  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist,  we  shall  by 
the  end  of  the  month  have  gained  some  great 
victory  over  self;  our  love  will  have  increased, 
our  grace  will  be  more  powerful. 

Our  Lord  has  said  that  he  who  eats  His 
Flesh  and  drinks  His  Blood  has  life  in  him. 
What  will  this  be  if  you  supplemient  your 
Sacramental  Communion  by  a constant  com- 
munion of  thirty  days  in  His  love,  in  His 
virtues,  in  His  holiness,  in  His  life  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament  ? 

Behold  what  it  is  to  be  united  to  Jesus  Eu- 
charistic. Without  that,  we  may  have  good 
thoughts,  but  we  have  no  principle  of  life. 


396 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


The  gust  that  blows  but  an  instant,  only  skims 
over  the  surface  of  the  earth ; but  the  fine, 
steady  rain,  which  lasts  for  a time,  sinks  in  and 
renders  it  fruitful.  The  thought  of  the  Euchar- 
ist, entertained  for  a whole  month  in  the  man- 
ner we  shall  point  out,  will  become  an  abundant 
spring  which  will  fructify  our  virtues,  a divine 
strength  which  will  make  us  fly  in  the  way  of 
sanctity.  We  may  say  with  good  reason  and 
following  the  laws  of  natural  philosophy,  that 
if  we  exercise  ourselves  for  a whole  month 
upon  one  same  subject,  our  mind  will  acquire 
the  habit  of  it,  whatever  it  may  be. 

Let  us  not  fear  that  such  concentration  upon 
one  single  mystery  will  restrict  our  horizon. 
The  Eucharist  comprehends  all  mysteries,  all 
virtues.  It  affords  us  the  means  of  reviving 
them,  of  considering  them  in  their  living  and 
animated  subject,  present  before  us,  and  this 
wonderfully  facilitates  meditation.  We  see 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  Eucharist.  We  see  His  sac- 
ramental covering.  We  know  even  by  our 
senses  that  He  is  there.  The  Sacred  Host 
speaks  to  us,  arrests  our  gaze.  It  vividly  pre- 
sents to  us  Our  Lord. 

May  this  month,  then,  be  for  us  a month  of 
happiness,  during  which  we  shall  live  in  inti- 


THE  MONTH  OF  THE  BL.  SACRAMENT.  397 


mate  union  with  Jesus!  Ah!  we  know  well 
that  His  conversation  « hath  no  bitterness.  No7i 
hahet  amaritudinem  conversatio  illius.  » May 
it  lead  us  with  giant  strides  to  sanctity! 

II 

Ow  must  we  spend  this  month  in  order 
to  profit  by  it? 

the  first  place,  we  should  procure  some 
book  on  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  read  a 
little  in  it  every  day.  Do  not  fear,  we  cannot 
exhaust  the  subject.  The  depths  of  the  love 
of  Jesus  are  unfathonable.  It  is  the  same 
with  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist  as  with  Jesus  in 
heaven.  He  is  always  beautiful,  always  new, 
always  infinite.  We  need  never  fear  to  see 
that  infinite  Source  exhausted.  Jesus  has  first 
so  many  graces,  and  then  so  much  glory  to 
bestow  upon  us! 

Let  us,  then,  have  a book  that  treats  of  the 
Eucharist.  I know  very  well  that  books  do 
not  make  saints  and  that,  on  the  contrary,  it 
is  the  saints  who  .make  the  good  books.  But  I 
counsel  a book  for  instruction,  to  awaken 
thoughts  that  will  lead  us  to.  perfection,  and 
with  which  we  miay  nourish  our  soul  in  medita- 


398 


THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 


tion.  Take,  for  instance,  Book  Fourth  of 
the  Following  of  Christ.  It  is  so  beautiful! 
It  was  an  angel,  'without  doubt,  that  composed 
it!  Take  the  Visits  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
of  St.  Alphonsus  Liguori.  This  book  on  its 
appearance  made  a revolution  in  piety.  It  has 
produced,  and  it  still  produces  every  day,  the 
most  abundant  fruits  of  salvation. 

Take  any  book.  It  matters  not.  We  may 
choose  any  that  suits  us.  But  let  us  put  aside 
our  other  devotions  during  this  month.  We 
shall  lose  nothing  by  it,  we  shall  lose  nothing 
by  plunging  entirely  into  the  sun.  Make  more 
frequent  and  more  prolonged  visits  to  the 
Blessed  Sacrament  during  this  month,  and 
communicate  with  greater  fervor.  Practise  a 
virtue  that  bears  some  relation  to  the  state  of 
Jesus  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  either  His 
silence,  or  His  sweetness,  but,  above  all,  His 
annihilation  ,and  life  of  recollection  in  His 
Father. 

Make  some  special  sacrifice  to  the  Blessed 
Sacrament.  Have  every  day  a fresh  flower  to 
present  to  Him.  He  deigns  to  allow  us  to 
approach  His  Adorable  Person  in  order  to 
present  Him  our  offering.  Truly,  the  great 
ones  of  the  world  are  not  seen  so  easily.  Let 


THE  MONTH  OF  THE  BL.  SACRAMENT.  399 


US  not  slight  this  loving  favor  of  Jesus,  nor 
cast  away  our  right  as  children  of  His  family. 

I repeat,  to  pass  this  month  well,  we  must 
practise  some  Eucharistic  virtue,  and  read 
something  on  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  This  is 
more  necessary  than  we  think,  perhaps.  With 
a book,  we  shall  have  new  thoughts;  without 
a book,  we  shall  be  dry,  always  repeating  the 
same  things:  tanquam  jumentum,  like  a beast. 
The  book  by  itself  is  worth  little,  but  if  we’ 
usie  it  earnestly,  with  our  whole  heart,  we  shall 
put  life  into  it.  The  Holy  Scripture  itself  must 
be  read  with  the  heart.  Read  without  faith 
and  love,  it  would  be  fatal  to  us,  as  we  see 
it  harden  certain  unbelievers  who  read  it  daily. 

You  say,  perhaps,  « Books  do  not  please  me, 
because  I do  not  find  in  them  what  my  soul 
seeks.  They  do  not  satisfy  me.  » So  much 
the  better!  It  would  be  very  bad  for  us  if 
books  could  make  all  our  prayer  for  us,  say 
everything  for  us.  We  should  then  become 
mere  talking  machines.  The  Saviour  does  not 
permit  books  to  do  everything  for  us  in  prayer. 
We  must  get  His  grace  by  our  own  exertions, 
by  the  sweat  of  our  brow.  There  never  was 
a life  of  any  saint,  were  he  the  greatest  in  the 
Church,  that  would  entirely  suit  us.  And  why  ? 


400  THE  DIVINE  EUCHARIST. 

Because  we  are  not  that  special  saint,  and  we 
have  a personal  grace  suited  to  our  own  indi- 
vidual nature;  because  we  have  a certain  per- 
sonality, each  peculiar  to  himself,  of  which 
we  do  not  know  how  to  make  complete  ab- 
straction. 

Let  us  read,  then,  but  expect  all  the  fruit 
of  our  reading  from  our  own  meditation  alone. 

Some  one  says:  « I would  make  my  adora- 
tion, my  visit,  but  I cannot  go  to  church  dur- 
ing the  day.  » That  must  not  hinder  us. 
Our  Lord  sees  us  even  in  our  own  home.  He 
can  hear  us  from  His  tabernacle.  He  can  see 
us  from  heaven:  why  can  He  not  see  us  from 
the  Sacred  Host  (^)  ? Let  us  adore  Him  wher- 
ever He  may  be.  Let  us  make  a good  adora- 
tion of  love,  land  Our  Lord  will  understand  our 
desire. 

It  would,  indeed,  be  a great  misfortune  could 
we  commune  with  Jesus  Eucharistic  only  in 
His  temples.  The  light  of  the  sun  surrounds 
and  enlightens  us  although  we  may  not  be 
directly  in  its  rays.  And  so  it  is  with  Our 
Lord  in  the  Sacred  Host.  He  knows  how  to 
send  the  rays  of  His  love  into  our  homes  to 


I.  This  opinion  is  supported  by  Suarez,  Disput.  LI  1 1 


THE  MONTH  OF  THE  BL.  SACRAMENT.  40I 


warm  and  strengthen  us.  There  are  currents 
in  the  supernatural  order  as  well  as  in  the  na- 
tural. Do  we  not  sometimes  feel  ourselves 
unexpectedly  recollected  and  transported  with 
love?  It  is  because  a ray,  a current  of  grace 
has  fallen  upon  us.  Let  us  have  faith  in  these 
currents,  in  these  spiritual  communications  with 
our  distant  Jesus.  It  would  be  very  sad  if  He 
could  receive  our  adoration  only  when  we  visit 
Him  in  the  church.  No,  no!  He  sees  every- 
where, He  blesses  everywhere.  He  unites  Him- 
self everywhere  to  those  that  desire  to  enter 
into  communication  with  Him.  We  may,  then, 
adore  Him  everywhere.  We  may  everywhere 
turn  in  spirit  toward  His  tabernacle. 

May  all  our  thoughts  be  for  Him  during  this 
month!  May  our  virtues,  our  love  rest  in  that 
Divine  Centre,  and  may  this  month  be  to  us 
one  of  graces  and  blessings! 


■ 


Letter  of  Approbation  of  Cardinal  Gibbons.  . v 

Letter  of  the  Bishop  of  Tarbes vi 

Letter  of  the  Bishop  of  Carcassonne vil 

Preface  of  the  Second  French  Edition.  ...  ix 


Adoration  « In  Spirit  and  in  Truth  ».  . . . i 

Practice  for  Adoration lo 

Method  of  Adoration  by  the  Four  Ends  of  the 

Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass 20 

The  Pater  Noster 29 

The  Institution  of  the  Eucharist 36 

The  Last  Will  of  Jesus  Christ 42 

The  Gift  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus 49 


Testimony  of  the  Church  to  the  Real  Presence 
of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Holy  Eucha- 
rist  

Testimony  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  Real  Presence 


in  the  Holy  Eucharist 61 

Faith  in  the  Eucharist 67 

The  Wonderful  Work  of  God 73 

The  Sacrifices  of  Jesus  in  the  Holy  Eucharist.  . 78 

The  Eucharist  and  the  Death  of  the  Saviour.  . 86 

The  Eucharist,  a Need  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus.  . 92 

The  Eucharist,  the  Need  of  Our  Heart.  . . 99 

The  Eucharist  and  the  Glory  of  God.  . . . 105 

The  Divine  Spouse  of  the  Church 1 1 1 

The  Hidden  God 117 

The  Veiled  Eucharist 124 


404  CONTENTS. 


The  Mystery  of  Faith 130 

The  Love  of  Jesus  in  the  Holy  Eucharist.  . . 136 

The  Excess  of  Love 142 

The  Eucharist  and  the  Family 149 

The  Family  Feast 156 

The  God  of  Goodness 163 

The  God  of  the  Lowly 169 

The  Eucharist,  the  Centre  of  the  Heart.  . . . 176 

The  Sovereign  Good 182 

The  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  is  Not  Loved.  . 189 

The  Triumph  of  Christ  by  the  Eucharist.  . , 198 

God  is  There  ! 204 

The  God  of  the  Heart 212 

The  Worship  of  the  Eucharist 218 

Let  Us  Love  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament.  . 226 

The  Eucharist,  Our  Way 236 

Annihilation,  the  Characteristic  of  Eucharistic 

Holiness 244 

Jesus  Meek  and  Humble  of  Heart 264 

Jesus,  the  Model  of  Poverty 286 

Christmas  and  the  Eucharist - . 297 

Sighs  to  Jesus  Eucharistic 306 

The  Epiphany  and  the  Eucharist 317. 

The  Feast  of  Corpus  Christi 335 

The  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus 343 

The  Heaven  of  the  Eucharist 358 

The  Eucharistic  Transfiguration 364 

St.  John  the  Baptist 372 

St.  Mary  Magdalen 3^* 

June,  the  Month  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  . 391 


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